People throw around the word “irony” a lot, but its exact definition eludes many.
In their seminal work, The King’s English, the Fowler brothers (aka, the GOATS of grammar) define irony as something in which “the surface meaning and the underlying meaning of what is said are not the same.”
As a literary skill, irony adds tantalizing dimensions to plots and characters. Moreover, using it makes for clever and engaging writing.
So today, we’re examining the nuts and bolts of irony and how to incorporate it into your work.