Irony over Historical Periods

Abstract

Irony is a way of looking at the stream of human consciousness over historical periods. It is one of the four elements discussed under a figure of speech called trope. Some examples of trope include metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, and irony. They are considered cycles within an age, referring to the age of the gods, the age of heroes, the age of men, and the age of decadence (White 1973, 48). A trope is a figure of speech, derived from the Greek word for “to turn.” It creates a difference between the literal and the figurative meaning. For example, one can praise someone by blaming him (de Man 1996, 165).