# Introduction

###### tags: `Higher Ironies Project`

[TOC]

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## Understanding Irony
**"Irony"** is a bit of a difficult term to define, because there are so many different contexts in which the word is used. Googling the term "irony" gives the following three definitions:
* the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.
* a state of affairs or an event that seems deliberately contrary to what one expects and is often amusing as a result.
* a literary technique, originally used in Greek tragedy, by which the full significance of a character's words or actions are clear to the audience or reader although unknown to the character.

These three definitions can be roughly defined as the following types of irony, respectively:
* **verbal irony**
* **situational irony**
* **dramatic irony**

We will be discussing the first two forms, **verbal** and **situational irony**, because it is primarily these forms that have recently evolved in new and unexpected ways, particularly on the internet.

## Evolution of Irony

<p align="center"> <img width="475" height="450" src="https://i.imgur.com/s5zB68X.png"> </p>

The irony that is used today, especially on the internet, is often different from the irony described above, which I will henceforth describe as various forms of **[Traditional Irony](/jsglmXe9SvKVl4f2HI7JJA)** To illustrate the difference...

***Watch the following video, released in in 2008:***
<p align="center"> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CsGYh8AacgY" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> </p>

***Then, watch the following video, released in 2010:***
<p align="center"> <iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/R5Nz8p3EP7A" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe> </p>

Both of these videos use **irony,** but there is a noticeable difference between the two. *Charlie the Unicorn* certainly makes use of **(traditional) situational irony.** The video takes a form similar to many childrens' programs, with Charlie and the gang going on a magical adventure to some mystical place, so it's hardly a shock that Candy Mountain *does,* in fact, turn out to be real. However, the theft of Charlie's kidney at the end of the video certainly fits the description of being "deliberately contrary to what one expects" and "amusing as a result."

*Charlie teh Unicron*, on the other hand, is a different animal. The video does not follow any coherent structure whatsoever, and as a result, it sets no expectations. For **situational irony** to function, one must *have* an expectation to be **subverted.** This is not possible with *charlie teh unicron episode 1*, because nothing about the scenario established at the beginning of the video (or at any subsequent point within it) tends towards the establishment of any particular expectation. At the same time, the video is clearly employing *some* form of **irony**; i.e., it is not simply a **sincere** piece of content with a **sincere** message.

Some new terminology is needed to properly describe the form of **irony** employed by *charlie teh unicron episode 1*. Thankfully, such terminology has been developed; however, it is mostly known only to a small fraction of people who are engaged in the study of internet trends. The point of this presentation is to provide an explanation of these new terms for describing irony--**[Meta-Irony](/CiYW-9KJQNOvIXv_HbnVlg)** and **[Post-Irony](/YI8fzFBRS4KUdc6YFnuQfQ)**--and to examine the deeper meanings behind their use.

However, before one can really begin to examine the "evolved" forms of **irony** mentioned above, one must first understand how **traditional irony** functions and what it is used to accomplish. The next chapter will deal with this subject.

Next Chapter: **[Traditional Irony](/jsglmXe9SvKVl4f2HI7JJA)**