Sarcasm or irony. Irony and sarcasm in literary text

Existence in modern society presupposes that an individual has a sense of humor - this makes it easier to “fit in” with society. Any topic - from politics to blondes - is impossible to imagine without ironic intervention. Our beloved (sarcasm?) traffic cops and deputies very often become the subjects of sarcastic jokes.

Sarcasm is a sarcastic statement, often with a positive connotation, but exclusively negative character. That’s why some people sometimes can’t “see” it. Typically, sarcasm is a mockery in which there is a tangible difference between what is said and what is implied. Also, this method of ridicule shows the true attitude of the speaker towards the object of ridicule.

Sarcasm differs from irony in that the latter is the most cruel. Irony is petty banter, while sarcasm is deliberate, sarcastic ridicule of shortcomings. Moreover, in sarcasm the external meaning and subtext stand out very clearly. Simply put, sarcasm is poisonous irony. It expresses a high degree of hatred and indignation.

The use of sarcasm in journalism, poetry, prose, and polemics has become firmly established in our lives. This technique is widely used in literary criticism. Many writers use it to highlight negativity in social and political events. But one should not assume that sarcasm on their part is open aggression. On the contrary, it can be seen as a method of fighting “the system.”

It is very easy to cross the line between sarcasm and irony, but the use of the former is justified by the ability to more clearly express a thought. Everyone’s favorite Vladimir Mayakovsky and Faina Ranevskaya were masters of words: their sarcastic phrases are still remembered and quoted by people. They opened their eyes to existing problems with “taste.” That's why the authorities didn't like them, that's why they were condemned and tried to exterminate them. Because it hooked people, because they removed the veil of “decency” and the whole truth, the essence, was revealed.

In modern filmography, the “king” of sarcasm is considered to be Dr. House from the series of the same name. He has no empathy for his patients and spews venom at everyone in his brilliantly sarcastic manner.

Phrases with sarcasm are not a humorous joke, which reveals a funny reality with a dose of sympathy and which is endearing. The comedy of sarcasm may not be clearly expressed, and dissatisfaction can be shown quite openly and assertively.

Sarcasm is a good policy of discontent and indignation. In the end, perhaps, he will be able to rid people of obscene speech and fill indignation with eloquence.

Surprisingly, many people are unable to recognize sarcasm. Although it represents a caustic mockery, it is often veiled as a positive judgment, so some may take it for slight irony or, even worse, for praise or a compliment.

The use of sarcastic expressions in literature can be considered justified, but when communicating with loved ones you need to monitor the degree of sarcasticness, so to speak. Often in youth social circles ridicule with sarcastic statements is common. But they can humiliate and “trample” the self-esteem of the person being ridiculed. Therefore, you should not use this technique with new and receptive old acquaintances.

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There are different jokes. Some joke harmlessly, lifting everyone’s spirits, so to speak, without sacrifice. Others ironically make fun of others, without seriously offending anyone, although an unpleasant aftertaste may remain. And still others make extremely sarcastic jokes, and the object of such humor is definitely not amused. Let's figure it out why we choose certain types of humor, and what laughter is really good for health.

Type of humor by type of person

Psychologist Maria Pugacheva explained how a person’s humor reflects his state of mind.

  • There are usually two groups of people making harmless jokes. One of them - self-confident people who love life and people in all its forms. These are active, cheerful and optimistic people, full of energy, with a bright temperament and charisma. The second group of people is quiet, modest and shy individuals with high intelligence and a kind soul. But they have one thing in common - they almost never envy, have a positive attitude towards everything around them and respect other people's problems and other people's success.
  • Those who ironically tease their interlocutor are also endowed with good intelligence, but has behind him certain small complexes of his own that make him not a 100% self-confident person. Most likely, he was teased in the same way in childhood or youth, or maybe he knows some of his shortcomings and weak points and understands that sooner or later someone will get under his skin.
  • Unpleasant sarcasm is used by those who are very unsure of themselves and are trying with all their might to prove the opposite to the world. God forbid they strike him, so he himself strives in every way "beat" all his potential rivals with a barrage of harsh humor.

You simply have no sense of humor!

Since childhood, we have been told this when we were offended by someone's jokes. And indeed, Maybe it's not about them, but about us? This can be checked.

Firstly, think about whether you are capable of self-irony: can you, if you find yourself in some kind of ridiculous or difficult situation laugh at yourself? Can you laugh and tell your friends about a stupid thing you did, and not be offended when your friends laugh at your story? If self-irony is not alien to you, most likely, excessive touchiness is not your trait.

Secondly, Observe people's reactions to jokes directed at them and try to try on the situation for yourself. Would you be offended? Or would they have turned a deaf ear? Or did you laugh it off? Such comparative analysis will allow you to understand how often you are offended by things that do not offend others.

If you notice that you really get offended by humor too often, it’s worth correcting this trait in yourself. Practice shows: most often in a company they tease those who are offended.If you don't want to be a target, stop being offended.

And if after this study you come to the conclusion that your sense of humor is fine and you do not suffer from excessive touchiness, then it’s not about you, but about the truly aggressive humor of your interlocutor.

An eye for an eye, humor for humor

If the annoying comedian is just one of your friends, there is no need to fight them; you can simply stop communicating and not waste your nerves on his jokes.

What to do if such a joker is a person close to you? Well, don’t part with him because of jokes, really! Is it possible to wean him off evil humor?

According to the psychologist, peaceful methods, unfortunately, cannot be achieved here. “The only way to stop someone from mocking you sarcastically is to hit you with the same end in the same place. Here, alas, kindness and understanding cannot save the situation. The better and more correct you are, the greater the strength and power this person will feel over you person. But if he knows that any attack he makes will be followed by a similar attack and he himself will become a wounded target, then he will definitely not attack again,”– Maria Pugacheva is sure.

What kind of humor prolongs life?

We are used to thinking that Laughter prolongs life and generally has a positive effect on the body. But I wonder if this relates to sarcasm? Remember how it was in the movie The same Munchausen: “To him who laughs, he prolongs, and to him who jokes, he shortens.”

According to the psychologist, if a person is sarcastic to everyone around him, this cannot have any positive effect on health. " But if sarcasm is not directed at anyone in particular and it does not offend loved one, and, for example, the political situation is harshly ridiculed in the company of friends, then the general energy of laughter and smiles, of course, will play its healing role,”– Maria Pugacheva is sure.

So sarcasm, like humor in general, comes in different forms.

What kind of humor is more characteristic of you? Have you ever encountered people who offended you with their jokes? What did you do in this situation?

Making a person smile, much less laugh, is not an easy task. It is much easier to squeeze a tear out of a listener or viewer, as the great Charles Chaplin noted. However, the task becomes even more difficult if it involves causing the interlocutor to become self-critically aware of his own lack of intelligence. Only three techniques used in literature, cinema and painting cause laughter. Writers, poets, directors and artists have known them for a long time - they are good humor, sarcasm and irony. Examples of funny and not so funny phrases, as well as a short theoretical basis their psychological impact will be discussed in this article.

What does it mean to “humor”?

The most harmless form of fun is to say funny phrases that do not offend or offend anyone. It should be noted that it is quite difficult to come up with something similar and at the same time funny, the most harmless joke can touch someone’s hidden emotional strings, someone will take a completely good-natured statement personally and consider it to be hidden sarcasm. Examples similar situations is in Chekhov's early stories, for example in “The Wedding” - the story of how a certain Aplombov married with a dowry, but at the same time presented himself as a noble man. Telegraph operator Yat's abstract discussions about electricity were taken by both the groom and many guests as a hint of their ignorance. The result was disastrous, and from the above fragment we can conclude that one should shine with wit or erudition very carefully, taking into account the nature of the listeners. If not full confidence The point is that the joke will be understood correctly, it is better not to say it.

Irony and self-irony

Another form, basically invented to make life more fun for everyone, is irony. The technique is very simple, at least at first glance. It is enough to call something bad good, and the irony is obvious. In reality, of course, everything is more complex and varied. You can declare a hopeless situation wonderful, because it can no longer worsen. Irony can also be gloomy, then it takes on the features of “gallows humor,” which is very popular in Britain. “We are engaged in such shameful things that we simply have to behave like true gentlemen!” “It’s very easy to quit smoking, I know because I’ve done it myself many times,” - this is how Mark Twain sneered at his bad habit.

One more example. A rabbi is walking through the Warsaw ghetto in a hat and with a yellow star on his chest, an SS man sees him and points his finger at him, asking: “Yude?”, “No, the sheriff is from Texas...” - the Jew waves him off.

Actually, irony can be a defensive reaction to unbearable external circumstances, when ordinary humor no longer works. At the same time, it does not aim to offend anyone, but denotes a deep understanding of the situation and thereby raises the joker above his interlocutors. This is exactly how Socrates conducted his arguments and debates, accepting all the arguments of his opponent, belittling his knowledge, but constantly asking questions, answering which, he was forced to ultimately admit that the philosopher was right.

Sarcasm is considered a much harsher means. Examples of “tormenting” (as “sarcasmus” is translated from Greek) speech patterns leave no doubt about the intention to cause the greatest damage to the pride of the speaker’s victim.

Differences between sarcasm and irony

So, irony is an allegory that in a hidden form exposes or reveals certain unpleasant events or facts. In its essence, a positive and optimistic worldview prevails, while a person often jokes about himself and about the deplorable situation in which he finds himself, no matter whether through his own fault or due to circumstances of an irresistible external force. Irony can be gentle, as evidenced by the examples given. There is no such thing as soft sarcasm; it is always merciless. Moreover, allegories in it are kept to a minimum or are non-existent. The subject of criticism is always specific; each “joke” in this category is targeted. If you can be ironic alone or in the company of people who do not understand the full depth of humor, then all examples of sarcasm are intended for an appreciative and wide audience.

Pamphlets

Angry denunciations printed on paper or distributed by other means are called pamphlets. If they are capable of causing laughter, it is only bitter. The reason for writing such messages may be a situation in which no hints or allegories are inappropriate. There are known examples of sarcasm in the literature of various eras - from the Middle Ages (when, in fact, the term arose) to modern history. It is not always safe to appeal to the public so harshly. Publicist Jaroslav Galan was killed by a Catholic fanatic for his pamphlet “I Spit on the Pope.” Some French journalists insulted the religious feelings of Muslims by publishing ugly caricatures, which also ended tragically. There are other examples of sarcasm that offend entire nations or large groups of them. Well, this genre does not claim to be the most delicate, it has other tasks.

Trolling as a form of sarcasm

Trolling in English means a type of fishing that uses a spoon. This term has nothing to do with fairytale trolls. Age of new information technologies gives birth to its own laws, the tasks of new pamphleteers also change, but only tactically. The strategy remains the same and consists of unbalancing opponents. Examples of sarcasm on the Internet are extremely varied, but its essence is quite monotonous. On a blog where supporters of any concept are fasting (by no means a church fast) (it doesn’t matter which one, they could be ardent apologists for the unitary structure of the state or adherents of urine therapy), the troll brazenly posts his sarcastic message, which runs counter to the prevailing opinion . The reaction is quite predictable: comments, often obscene, immediately begin to pour in towards the person who disagrees. As a result, moderators forcefully end the discussion. That's it, the enemy is defeated. Laughter, however, is not enough.

So which is better?

From all of the above, one could conclude that irony is a good and kind technique, and sarcasm, on the contrary, is evil and bad. But this statement will be as unfair as declaring passenger aircraft useful and military aircraft harmful. Everything is needed, and all genres are good. The main thing is that the writing is not boring. Irony can be interesting, but smart sarcasm is no less entertaining. Examples from fiction They are already enchanting with the names of the authors. The subtle, allegorical and wise humor of N.V. Gogol, A.P. Chekhov, V.M. Shukshin attracts the reader in the same way as the pamphleteering of some of Lermontov’s works (“The First of January”) or Nekrasov’s “Reflections at the Main Entrance,” and Pushkin was no stranger to this passionate polemical technique (“Monk”). A genius does everything with talent, but mediocre malice only causes annoyance. Many “actors” still need to grow into real sarcasm.

Expressiveness of speech is achieved through the use of various linguistic means, including tropes - words and expressions used not directly, but in figurative meaning. The techniques of irony and sarcasm are based precisely on this principle of word usage. They are used if it is necessary to express one’s attitude towards the object of speech in an allegorical form, investing in a statement or remark a revealing hidden meaning that is opposite to the positive context.

Definition

Irony- an allegory in which the true evaluative content is contrasted with the form of praise, compliment, admiration or other positive assessment for the purpose of hidden ridicule and exposure.

Sarcasm- a caustic remark, a caustic satirical denunciation, which is based on a sharp contrast between the positive beginning of the phrase and its destructive meaning, revealed in a direct reference to human vices or ugly phenomena of reality.

Comparison

Irony – thin instrument comic. It is close to wit, a joke, when the contrast between the literal meaning of words and the true meaning of a statement causes laughter.

A judgment filled with sarcasm is never funny: it characterizes the object of speech from the standpoint of moral assessment, reflecting subjective rejection and condemnation.

As a literary device, irony gives expressiveness to the content of a work, and stylistic originality to the form of presentation. An ironic remark can demonstrate the author's attitude towards the character or the situation being described, emphasize the absurdity of the situation, and reduce the pretentiousness and imaginary significance of the images.

Sarcasm is used for harsh criticism, in the light of which the ugliness of personal human qualities or immorality life positions take on not just a caricatured form, but also cause uncompromising public censure.

Conclusions website

  1. Irony is a way of veiled, hidden negative assessment of the object of speech.
  2. Sarcasm is a trope in which a figurative accusatory meaning is expressed with a minimal degree of allegory.
  3. The form of an ironic statement is always positive, in contrast to hidden ridicule, to which its meaning boils down.
  4. A sarcastic remark or address has a direct indication of the subject of derogatory criticism.
  5. Irony is used as a type of comic in humorous literary works and oral figurative speech.
  6. Sarcasm is never mild; as a sharply satirical means artistic expression it is usually used in accusatory oratory speeches and journalistic texts with socio-political content.

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