修辭：Irony優(yōu)秀課件

IronyIronyisafigureofspeechthatachievesemphasisbysayingtheoppositeofwhatismeant,theintendedmeaningofthewordsbeingtheoppositeoftheirusualsense.(馮翠華，1995：213)12.Ironyistheexpressionofone’smeaningbyusinglanguagethatnormallysignifiestheopposite,typicallyforhumorousoremphaticeffect.2ClassificationsofIrony:therearetwodifferentwaysofdividingIrony.Thefirstcaseisbasedonthegenre,thesecondcaseisontheform—amildformornot.3Generallyspeaking,IronycanbedividedintofourcategoriesonthebasisofGenre:1.

VerbalIrony(語(yǔ)言倒反)2.

StylisticIrony(風(fēng)格倒反)3.

DramaticIrony(戲劇倒反)4.

SituationalIrony(情景倒反)41.

VerbalIronyWhatanobleillustrationofthetenderlawofhisfavoredcountry!—theyletthepaupersgotosleep!(Dickens)

這是證明他那可愛(ài)的國(guó)家的仁慈法律的一個(gè)多么漂亮的例證！—他們?cè)试S窮人睡覺(jué)！5b.Itisincrediblethatmereignoranceshouldhaveachievedsuchmasterpiecesofhorror.(H.L.Mencken:TheLibidofortheUgly)

很難想象人們僅僅出于無(wú)知會(huì)搞出這些可怕的杰作。

(masterpiecesheremeanstheopposite—theextremelyuglybuilding)6c.Afterawhile,itisthesettingofmanagainstmanandcreeduntilwearemarchingbackwardstothegloriousageofthesixteenthcenturywhenbigotslightedfaggotstoburnthemenwhodaredtobringanyintelligenceandenlightenmentandculturetothehumanmind.(JohnScopes:theTrialThatRockedtheWorld)(ZhanghanxiAdvancedEnglish)

7

用不了多久，就會(huì)出現(xiàn)人與人，宗教與宗教之間的相互爭(zhēng)斗，直到我們退回到16世紀(jì)那個(gè)輝煌的年代，那時(shí)偏執(zhí)的教徒們點(diǎn)燃柴堆活活燒死那些敢于給人類(lèi)帶來(lái)智慧、啟迪和文明的人。

(gloriousheremeanstheopposite—dark)8BackgroundInformationEightyyearsago,inJuly1925,themixtureofreligion,scienceandthepublicschoolscaughtfireinDayton,Tenn.TheScopestrial--or"MonkeyTrial,"asitwascalled--dominatedheadlinesacrossthecountry.Thetriallastedjustaweek,butthequestionsitraisedareasdivisivenowastheywerebackthen.910Now,hehadnotevenapennywithhimanddidnothavetothinkaboutwhattoeatforlunch,wonderful!(RobertTressell:TheRaggedTrouseredPhilanthropists)

現(xiàn)在他一名不文，也不必操心午飯吃什么了，真棒！

(wonderfulmeanstheopposite—bad;hereitisusedinarakishmanner)e.Thisdiligentstudentseldomreadsmorethananhourpermonth.

這個(gè)勤奮的學(xué)生每個(gè)月讀書(shū)時(shí)間不超過(guò)一小時(shí)。11f.根據(jù)報(bào)紙上官方介紹，他是天底下頭等大好人，渾身上下毫無(wú)缺點(diǎn)，連肚臍眼都沒(méi)有。（宗福先《于無(wú)聲處》）

Accordingtotheofficialwrite-upsinthepapers,he’sthebestmanintheworld.Hedoesn’thaveasingledefectinhiswholebody.Why,hedoesn’tevenhaveabelly-button!12Notethat:SomeoftheVerbalIronyislight-heartedandhumorous:forexample,wecallaverythinboy“Fatty”,afatone“Skinny”.Butmoreoften,itisusedtoveilfeelingsinasubtleway,usingwordsofpraisewherecondemnationismeant,orviceversa.13LightIrony:

a.Wearelucky.It’stheothersideonthethirteenthofDecember.Thatmakesusfeelreallygood.(DavidParks:G.I.diary)(Theauthormeansexactlytheoppositeofwhathesays:13isanunluckynumbertomostWesterners.Sinceonthatday—December13,theywilllandontheothersideofthePacifictofightintheVietnamWar,theydon’tfeelgoodatall)14b.LikealltheotherofficersatGroupHeadquartersexceptMajorDanby,ColonelCathcartwasinfusedwiththedemocraticspirit:hebelievedthatallmenwerecreatedequal,andhethereforespurnedallmenoutsideGroupHeadquarterswithequalfervor.(JosephHeller:Catch22)(ThispassageimpliesthatColonelCathcartwasnotdemocraticatall:hisdemocraticspiritextendedonlytohisowngroup;allothershetreatedwithscornandhigh-handedness)15HeavyIrony:AfamousexampleofheavyironyisMarkAntony’sspeechattheburialceremonyofCaesarinShakespeare’sJuliusCaesar:16“Friends,Romans,Countrymen,lendmeyourears;IcometoburyCaesar,nottopraisehim.Theevilthatmendolivesafterthem,Thegoodisoftinterredwiththeirbones;SoletitbewithCaesar.ThenobleBrutusHathtoldyouCaesarwasambitious.Ifitwereso,itwasagrievousfault;AndgrievouslyhathCaesaranswer’dit.Here,underleaveofBrutusandtherest—ForBrutusisanhonorableman;17Soaretheyall,allhonorablemen—ComeItospeakinCaesar’sfuneral.Hewasmyfriend,faithfulandjusttome;ButBrutussayshewasambitious,AndBrutusisanhonorableman.18(Antonymeansexactlytheoppositeofwhathesays.Byconstantrepetitionofthestatement“Brutusisanhonorableman”,aftershowingCaesarwasnotambitious,heisreallycondemningBrutusasdishonorableforhispartinkillingCaesar.)192.StylisticIrony

指用與內(nèi)容相反的風(fēng)格來(lái)表現(xiàn)主題的一種手法。比如敘述一件小事時(shí)故意虛張聲勢(shì)，講述滑稽故事時(shí)板著面孔，處理嚴(yán)肅的主題時(shí)冷諷熱嘲。Acaseinpointis“AModestProposalforPreventingtheChildrenofPoorPeopleinIrelandfromBeingBurdentoTheirParentsorCountry,andforMakingThemBeneficialtothePublic”writtenbyJonathanSwift.他一本正經(jīng)地以“建議者”的身份，提出了一個(gè)十分殘忍的“建議”—把孩子養(yǎng)肥，屠宰后運(yùn)送到英國(guó)市場(chǎng)上出售。203.DramaticIrony:主要指小說(shuō)或戲劇中的人物的語(yǔ)言或動(dòng)作表明他們不知道某些情況，而讀者或觀眾卻一清二楚。這種手法在于人物所表達(dá)的意義和讀者或觀眾所知道的的不同意義之間的對(duì)比。比如在RomeoandJuliet中。讀者/觀眾清楚地知道Juliet并沒(méi)有死，而劇中Romeo卻并不知道，他以為自己的心上人已經(jīng)死去，悲痛萬(wàn)分，甚至于徇情自殺。214.SituationalIrony

常常用來(lái)描寫(xiě)事物的現(xiàn)象與本質(zhì)的矛盾，行為與反應(yīng)的矛盾，預(yù)料與結(jié)果的矛盾，常理與現(xiàn)狀的矛盾。作者通過(guò)這些矛盾的揭露和描繪來(lái)表現(xiàn)世情的顛倒和荒謬。情景倒反有助于反應(yīng)復(fù)雜的現(xiàn)實(shí)，準(zhǔn)確地展示作者對(duì)現(xiàn)實(shí)的分析，從而更有說(shuō)服力地表現(xiàn)主題。22Itwasanimmaculately(perfectly)plannedcrimebythreeNorwegiansafe-breakerswhoknewtheirbusiness.Theyfoundthecompanysafeandplacedasmallexplosivecharge.Calmly,theylitthefuseandshelteredinthenextroom.Therecamethebangandawholewallwasheddownroundthetrioonaroarofflyingbricksandmortar.Thesafedidnotcontainmoney.Itcontainedexplosives.23ThesecondcaseoftheclassificationofIronyisbasedupontheForm,mildornot:A.InnuendoAmildformofIrony,hintinginaratherroundaboutwayatsomethingdisparagingoruncomplimentarytothepersonorsubjectmentioned.24“Theweathermansaiditwouldbewarm.Hemusttakehisreadingsinabathroom.”(DavidParks:G.I.Diary)(Theauthorishintingattheinaccuracyoftheweatherman’sweatherreport.Theweatheriscold,ratherthanwarm.)25B.SarcasmWhileInnuendoisamildformofIrony,Sarcasmisjusttheopposite.Itattacksinatauntingandbittermanner,anditsaimistodisparage,ridiculeandwoundthefeelingsofthesubjectattacked.261.FromJonathanSwift’s“AMODESTPROPOSALforPreventingtheChildrenofPoorPeopleinIrelandfromBeingBurdentoTheirParentsorCountry,andforMakingThemBeneficialtothePublic”:

27BackgroundInformationItisneverthelessimportanttounderstandtheeconomicsofSwift’stimeinordertofullyunderstandthepiece.Withthestartofanewindustrialageinthe18thcenturyitwasbelievedthat“peoplearetherichesofthenation,”andtherewasageneralfaithinaneconomywhichpaiditsworkerslowwages—highwagesmeantworkerswouldworkless.28Furthermore,“inthemercantilistviewnochildwastooyoungtogointoindustry.”WecanbetterunderstandSwift’ssatiricalcannibalisticproposalwhenwetakeintoaccountthisideainhistimeofthehumanbeingasanumberorcommodity.Inthistext,SwiftattackedtheEnglishmistreatmentoftheIrishpoor.29AModestProposalIshallnowthereforehumblyproposemyownthoughts,whichIhopewillnotbeliabletotheleastobjection.

IhavebeenassuredbyaveryknowingAmericanofmyacquaintanceinLondon,thatayounghealthychildwellnursedisatayearoldamostdelicious,nourishing,andwholesomefood,whetherstewed,roasted,baked,orboiled;andImakenodoubtthatitwillequallyserveinafricasseeoraragout.

303132Idothereforehumblyofferittopublicconsiderationthatofthehundredandtwentythousandchildrenalreadycomputed,twentythousandmaybereservedforbreed,whereofonlyone-fourthparttobemales;whichismorethanweallowtosheep,blackcattleorswine;andmyreasonis,thatthesechildrenareseldomthefruitsofmarriage,acircumstancenotmuchregardedbyoursavages,thereforeonemalewillbesufficienttoservefourfemales.33Thattheremaininghundredthousandmay,atayearold,beofferedinthesaletothepersonsofqualityandfortunethroughthekingdom;alwaysadvisingthemothertoletthemsuckplentifullyinthelastmonth,soastorenderthemplumpandfatforagoodtable.Achildwillmaketwodishesatanentertainmentforfriends;andwhenthefamilydinesalone,theforeorhindquarterwillmakeareasonabledish,andseasonedwithalittlepepperorsaltwillbeverygoodboiledonthefourthday,especiallyinwinter.34在此請(qǐng)?jiān)试S我冒昧的提出我的拙見(jiàn)，希望不會(huì)遭到異議。

我在倫敦結(jié)識(shí)的一個(gè)博學(xué)的美國(guó)朋友曾經(jīng)向我保證，一個(gè)被細(xì)心的看護(hù)至一歲大的年幼的健康的小孩是最美味、滋補(bǔ)和健康的食品，無(wú)論是用燉、烘烤或是煮的；而且我毫不懷疑，將這樣的小孩做成燉肉丁或菜燉肉都會(huì)一樣美味。

35因此，請(qǐng)?jiān)试S我冒昧的向公眾提出我的拙見(jiàn)，將記錄在冊(cè)的120，000孩童中留下20，000個(gè)用來(lái)繁殖后代，其中1/4須是男孩。這個(gè)數(shù)目比我們養(yǎng)的羊、黑牛和豬多多了。我的理由是，這些孩子大部分都不是婚姻的結(jié)晶，而既然我們這些野蠻人并不注重婚姻這種形式，那么一個(gè)男人足以應(yīng)付4個(gè)女人。對(duì)于剩下的100，000個(gè)孩子，可以在他們一歲時(shí)賣(mài)給上流社會(huì)人士（食用）；叫他們的媽媽在出售前一個(gè)月喂足奶，讓他們又肥又胖可以賣(mài)個(gè)好價(jià)錢(qián)。（一般而言）一個(gè)孩子可以做成兩個(gè)菜招待朋友，而當(dāng)家庭自己聚餐時(shí)，身體的前后1/4段就足夠提供一盤(pán)好菜色，如果加少許胡椒粉和鹽，在第四天下鍋就能煮出美食，特別是在冬天。36Analysis

SwiftappearstosuggestinhisessaythattheimpoverishedIrishmighteasetheireconomictroublesbysellingchildrenasfoodforrichgentlemenandladies.Swift’srhetoricalstylepersuadesthereadertodetestthespeakerandpitytheIrish.Swift’sspecificstrategyistwofold,usinga“trap”tocreatesympathyfortheIrishandadislikeofthenarrator.37SwifthashisproposerfurtherdegradetheIrishbyusinglanguageordinarilyreservedforanimals.Thespeakeruses“thevocabularyofanimalhusbandry”todescribetheIrish.Oncethechildrenhavebeencommoditized,Swift’srhetoriccaneasilyturn“peopleintoanimals,thenmeat,andfrommeat,logically,intotonnageworthapriceperpound”.382.FromSamuelJohnson’slettertoTheRightHonorabletheEarlofChesterfield：“…Isnotapatron,mylord,onewholookswithunconcernonamanstrugglingforlifeinthewater,and,whenhehasreachedgrou