Irony and Sarcasm

The MIT Press Essential Knowledge

by Roger J. Kreuz

A biography of two troublesome words.

Isn't it ironic? Or is it? Never mind, I'm just being sarcastic (or am I?). Irony and sarcasm are two of the most misused, misapplied, and misunderstood words in our conversational lexicon. In this volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series, psycholinguist Roger Kreuz offers an enlightening and concise overview of the life and times of these two terms, mapping their evolution from Greek philosophy and Roman rhetoric to modern literary criticism to emojis.

Kreuz describes eight different ways that irony has been used through the centuries, proceeding from Socratic to dramatic to cosmic irony. He explains that verbal irony—irony as it is traditionally understood—refers to statements that mean something different (frequently the opposite) of what is literally intended, and defines sarcasm as a type of verbal irony. Kreuz outlines the prerequisites for irony and sarcasm (one of which is a shared frame of reference); clarifies what irony is not (coincidence, paradox, satire) and what it can be (among other things, a socially acceptable way to express hostility); recounts ways that people can signal their ironic intentions; and considers the difficulties of online irony. Finally, he wonders if, because irony refers to so many different phenomena, people may gradually stop using the word, with sarcasm taking over its verbal duties.

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Linguistics, Language, Psychology

232 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 24, 2020

About the author

Roger J. Kreuz a.k.a. Roger Kreuz has been a professor of psychology for 35 years. After studying psychology and linguistics at the University of Toledo, he earned master's and doctoral degrees in experimental psychology at Princeton University. He was also a post-doctoral researcher in cognitive gerontology at Duke University. Since 1988, he has been a faculty member at the University of Memphis. He has researched and published on diverse topics in the psychology of language, primarily in the areas of text and discourse processing and figurative language. He currently serves as an associate dean and as Director of Graduate Studies in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Memphis.

Reviews

[Shawn Persinger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Academically dull (and obvious). Once again, "An intellectual is a man who says a simple thing in a difficult way; an artist is a man who says a difficult thing in a simple way." - Charles Bukowksi

[Nils · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sociolinguistic approach to the discussion of irony, one ironically almost completely unleavened of humor, but nonetheless topologically useful. Categories like cosmic irony (fate, e.g. Thomas Hardy) or situational irony, which Kreuz admits is always “fuzzy.” (Likewise, one ironic annoyance of this book is that it too often throws up its hands and admits, “well, it’s vague or ambiguous.”) Kreuz cites Wayne Booth distinction between stable (eg unambiguous) irony and unstable irony, in which authorial intent is unclear. it doesn’t help that the term irony has also just generally broadened into a merely jaded or cynical expressions — “wry, but also scornful; hip, but also flippant.”

Often very hard to get people to agree on what is or is not sarcastic, which often depends on tone of voice or physical gestures like crooked grins or rolling eyes. Sarcasm is almost always delivered verbally, as a way of declaring allegiance, establishing in-group solidarity, venting frustration, or engaging in humorous aggression. Unfortunately, “The lines that separate harmless banter from teasing, and teasing from outright mockery, are notoriously murky.” (73)

Most useful concept here is that irony always plays off of the basis of “common ground” between the speaker and listener — establishing an in/out group. It’s all about shared context. Sarcasm also differs from irony in that there is always a victim of the sarcasm, whereas irony may be general. Satire, irony, and sarcasm all depend on a shared set of references and allegiances on the part of author and listener.

[Kerry Pickens · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love to read books where the author uses words I don't know the meaning of, and Dr. Kreuz is an excellent example of this type of author. He discusses the difference between irony and sarcasm based on the dichotomy of prescriptivists, people who believe words have a standard fixed meaning; and descriptivists, people that believe the meanings of words are more fluid. The author states sarcasm has a more fixed meaning: a derisive form of humor that is intended towards a particular person. Whereas irony has many meanings including dramatic irony, cosmic irony, verbal irony etc. I find both forms of humor to be hilarious, so if hipsters want to claim irony as their own its ok with me. Let them wear their Hello Kitty t-shirts.

[Anthony O'Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Irony?

An attempt to survey the multiple overlapping uses of such terms as ‘irony’ and ‘sarcasm’. I’ve Always been a bit unclear on that.
Still unclear. But that might be more the nature of the subject than a defect in my cognition. Does not have to be humorous. Ok. Does not have to be mocking. Ok. Does not have to involve reversals of meaning. Ok. So?
But it’s a good survey. Very erudite. Very well written.
Am I being ironic? What are the cues? Hard to tell in written text.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

A student asked me what the difference between sarcasm and irony was, but I hadn't got to that chapter of this book at that point, so I gave my own understanding, which turned out much the same. Unlikely to blow you away, but amusing nonetheless. I saw other reviewers complain it wasn't funny, as if an academic study of irony could be.

[Nadine Al lahham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is primarily intended for comic writers and drama students, serving as a solid introduction to comedy—particularly dark comedy rooted in sarcasm. It explores various types of irony and sarcasm, while also offering historical context to illustrate how sarcasm is both a product of its time and a refined artistic form.

[Todd Cheng · Rating 3 out of 5]

English is hard and it is mostly my first language. This was nice dive into a the history of irony & sarcasm in US English. The narrative highlights subtle differences and concludes with the shift into a mainstream appreciation.

[Mike Jorgensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely adored this book when I read it. I forgot to review in back in 2021, but it is a guide for pedants to object to almost every misuse of irony and sarcasm (starting with you, Ms. Morissette.)

[B. Rule · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not consider this particularly illuminating. It might be a good field guide for the neurodiverse, but I found the taxonomy plodding and surface-level.

[Noel Arnold · Rating 2 out of 5]

book #6 of 2020: a historical look at the words irony and sarcasm, their uses and misuses, related words, etc. 2/5 prob best suited for language nerds. and now for something completely different.