Understatement
The author’s preferred method of irony is understatement. He is most fond of setting up a situation which he then subtly subverts through an understated bit of satirical irony. An excellent example of this is illustrated here:
“Photography interested her, so she taught herself to use a camera, ultimately landing a job in the photo department of a large international drug company, where she took pictures of germs, viruses, and people reacting to germs and viruses. On weekends, for extra money, she photographed weddings, which really wasn’t that much of a stretch.”
Historical Allusion
An allusion to historical figures of some renown is used for the purpose of irony. Following an incident in which the author’s father operating in his role as landlord and the author as a very young man square off against a surly tenant, historical reference to a Roman emperor and his son and heir also serves the purpose of ironic subversion:
“The two of us together, man oh man, what a sight that would have been!” We laughed then, Vespasian and Titus in the cab of a Toyota pickup.”
Gross Insensitivity
The author and his love attend a screening of a romantic drama of the epic sort. Based on a novel by a respected author and directed by an Oscar nominee. The reaction of the one is an example of sincerity. The reaction of the other receives an accusation of gross insensitivity. In reality, of course, it is simply irony going for the cheap laugh:
“Hugh and I went to see The End of the Affair, a Neil Jordan adaptation of the Graham Greene novel. I had trouble keeping my eyes open because I was tired and not completely engaged. Hugh had trouble keeping his eyes open because they were essentially swollen shut: he sobbed from beginning to end, and by the time we left the theater, he was completely dehydrated. I asked if he always cried during comedies”
Fairy Tale Irony
The author reveals the ironic underpinning of the fairy tale trope of making a wish. It is right there for all the world to see right from the beginning of this literature, but somehow it never quite becomes clear enough. Even today, granting wishes remains a standard element of the fairy tale narrative because the inevitable ironic twist simply can’t compete with plain old greed:
“That’s the problem with wishes, they ensnare you. In fairy tales they’re nothing but trouble, magnifying the greed and vanity of the person for whom they are granted.”
The Oldest Irony in the Book
There is still a substantial chunk of people who believe that heterosexuality and homosexuality are inherent just not the same thing. The author affords multiple examples of how this is definitely not so. Including what may be the oldest irony on the record, the irony that infects romance no matter what the circumstances. The irony we all share:
“I looked from face to face, exaggerating flaws and reminding myself that these boys did not like me. The hope was that I might crush any surviving atom of attraction, but as has been the case for my entire life, the more someone dislikes me the more attractive he becomes.”
