Irony In The Black Cat By Edgar Allen Poe

The Importance of Irony Irony is the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning. A method for evoking humor, irony in literature is often like a private joke that creates a sense of complicity between the author and the reader. Irony in literature is intended to provoke the reader into thinking harder and analyzing any situation. By comparing and contrasting reality with suppositions about reality, the reader is able to arrive at a better understanding of the author’s intent. The rhetorical device of irony in literature is often far more effective than a direct statement. For example, in Edgar Allen Poe’s The Black Cat, the man starts out loving animals, especially his own cat Pluto,