Story Of An Hour Literary Analysis
Vanessa Moldovan
ENG125 Introduction to Literature
Isn’t It Ironic (Or Is It?)
Steven Ryan
April 5th, 2010
There are many elements used in the literature. There is character, theme, plot, structure, language, etc. The one that I find the most interesting is irony. In the book, Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, DiYanni states, “…irony always involves a contrast or discrepancy between one thing and another” (p. 97). Irony can be presented through the language of the work, the events that occur or in the point of view of the work (DiYanni, 2007, p. 97). These different types of irony are subsequently called verbal, situational and dramatic. Each of these is demonstrated in the short story, “The Story of An Hour” by Kate Chopin, the play, The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde and the novel, Pride and …show more content…
At the very end of the story, Mrs. Mallard dies drops dead. The reader knows that she has just died from shock. She has just spent the last hour adjusting to the idea of her new life and then she is completely caught off guard when she sees her husband at the door. However, the other characters, Mr. Mallard, Richards and Josephine, do not know where her heart and thoughts have been the last hour. It is possible that they presume she has died from the overwhelming joy that her husband is alive. But the reader knows different! There are many examples of dramatic irony in The Importance of Being Earnest. My personal favorite is the whole charade being put on by Jack and Algernon when they are both posing as a man named Ernest. The entire situation is quite humorous because if the obvious ignorance of Gwendolen and Cecily. Of course, this is only humorous to those who have the inside knowledge, but it was quite frustrating to the two
ENG125 Introduction to Literature
Isn’t It Ironic (Or Is It?)
Steven Ryan
April 5th, 2010
There are many elements used in the literature. There is character, theme, plot, structure, language, etc. The one that I find the most interesting is irony. In the book, Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, DiYanni states, “…irony always involves a contrast or discrepancy between one thing and another” (p. 97). Irony can be presented through the language of the work, the events that occur or in the point of view of the work (DiYanni, 2007, p. 97). These different types of irony are subsequently called verbal, situational and dramatic. Each of these is demonstrated in the short story, “The Story of An Hour” by Kate Chopin, the play, The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde and the novel, Pride and …show more content…
At the very end of the story, Mrs. Mallard dies drops dead. The reader knows that she has just died from shock. She has just spent the last hour adjusting to the idea of her new life and then she is completely caught off guard when she sees her husband at the door. However, the other characters, Mr. Mallard, Richards and Josephine, do not know where her heart and thoughts have been the last hour. It is possible that they presume she has died from the overwhelming joy that her husband is alive. But the reader knows different! There are many examples of dramatic irony in The Importance of Being Earnest. My personal favorite is the whole charade being put on by Jack and Algernon when they are both posing as a man named Ernest. The entire situation is quite humorous because if the obvious ignorance of Gwendolen and Cecily. Of course, this is only humorous to those who have the inside knowledge, but it was quite frustrating to the two