Irony's Edge: The Theory and Politics of Irony

By Linda Hutcheon

Book Overview

The edge of irony, says Linda Hutcheon, is always a social and political edge. Irony depends upon interpretation; it happens in the tricky, unpredictable space between expression and understanding.

Irony's Edge is a fascinating, compulsively readable study of the myriad forms and the effects of irony. It sets out, for the first time, a sustained, clear analysis of the theory and the political contexts of irony, using a wide range of references from contemporary culture. Examples extend from Madonna to Wagner, from a clever quip in conversation to a contentious exhibition in a museum.

Irony's Edge outlines and then challenges all the major existing theories of irony, providing the most comprehensive and critically challengin theory of irony to date.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0415054532
• ISBN13: 9780415054539
• Release Date: November 1994
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 258 Pages
• Weight: 1.32 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary