tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post8029268516970824652..comments2024-03-27T10:02:56.747-04:00Comments on Fiction University: Oh, the Irony: Working With Dramatic IronyJanice Hardyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-46779452837390900542013-03-31T10:50:52.069-04:002013-03-31T10:50:52.069-04:00Ha! Now that is some fun irony!Ha! Now that is some fun irony!Julie Musilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02150454913885915017noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-79230514571707814102013-03-30T08:28:08.082-04:002013-03-30T08:28:08.082-04:00Carradee, yeppers :) And that probably up'ed t...Carradee, yeppers :) And that probably up'ed the tension because the reader knows they're misunderstanding each other. <br /><br />Margaret, cool, thanks for the example!Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-16768584597256348752013-03-29T18:16:40.937-04:002013-03-29T18:16:40.937-04:00I would definitely say that an unreliable narrator...I would definitely say that an unreliable narrator in a first person story can entail dramatic irony. Ishiguro's Remains of the Day is a classic example. Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15456006889868172386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-17879108134882404952013-03-29T11:32:26.156-04:002013-03-29T11:32:26.156-04:00That first person novel I mentioned earlier was Po...That first person novel I mentioned earlier was <em>Poison Study</em> by Maria Snyder. There's a scene wherein the MMC does something that the narrator thinks is proof that he isn't interested in her romantically. However, the reader knows it's proof that he <em>does</em> like her—the narrator misinterprets it because, well, her previous experiences with guys have been very bad.<br /><br />So it is a case wherein the reader knows something the narrator does not. ^_^Carradeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05431561739001270522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-82693515979576611742010-06-05T10:53:09.011-04:002010-06-05T10:53:09.011-04:00THanks for explaining this, when I read the post a...THanks for explaining this, when I read the post above this I was not sure what dramatic irony was.Dana Elmendorfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07130309062939542854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-76378854851678494242010-06-05T07:45:06.793-04:002010-06-05T07:45:06.793-04:00LOL, don't worry Shorty, I haven't abandon...LOL, don't worry Shorty, I haven't abandoned Bob or the zombies. The space thing was just an easier way to explain it :)Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-42869036814685067432010-06-04T12:23:05.252-04:002010-06-04T12:23:05.252-04:00Great post Janice! When did we ditch zombies and g...Great post Janice! When did we ditch zombies and go into space w/ aliens? :)shorty411https://www.blogger.com/profile/10682462733301561147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-52417157902521670162010-06-04T09:00:52.426-04:002010-06-04T09:00:52.426-04:00I read a fabulous book with an unreliable narrator...I read a fabulous book with an unreliable narrator a while back, can't remember if it was 1st or 3rd, but definitely a single POV: Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story by Carolyn Turgeon. Very cool how she did it. I started out believing what the narrator did, but over the story, began to question her perspective. But the questioning didn't make me lose any connection to the character. It just made me feel for her even more. Now I want to go find that book and read it again.Jaleh Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04942272578488986874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-25711459103356195232010-06-04T08:12:22.272-04:002010-06-04T08:12:22.272-04:00Oh you can definitely have your first person narra...Oh you can definitely have your first person narrator be wrong (I do that all the time). I'm not sure that works as DI though. But if the reader sees stuff the narrator doesn't, and the narrator is wrong and the readers is right, then I guess it could. <br /><br />LOL Jess. That is one downside to the blog. I make up plots as examples and sometimes I DO want to actually write the story.Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-33585541260204410922010-06-04T00:21:11.058-04:002010-06-04T00:21:11.058-04:00Love the post, Janice! But I don't need to te...Love the post, Janice! But I don't need to tell you that this is my bread and butter. Multiple POVs, unreliable narrators, yeah! Love it; thanks.Juliette Wadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02879627074920760712noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-35835232854230504572010-06-03T18:45:30.840-04:002010-06-03T18:45:30.840-04:00Will you please write this book about Xitic and Ja...Will you please write this book about Xitic and Jack and Miranda? You've got me all worried about how it ends now... ;) <br /><br />Great post, and fun explanation of Dramatic Irony.Jesshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16496310224885631202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-59901076570297406732010-06-03T17:59:17.422-04:002010-06-03T17:59:17.422-04:00And some readers pick up on hints more quickly tha...And some readers pick up on hints more quickly than others. There's a popular UF series where I had an inkling on the identity of the narrator's dad after the first book, which was confirmed after the second, and some folk were still clueless until the third book spelled it out for them.<br /><br />Re: first person and this sort of thing, it's completely possible to have the first person narrator be wrong. I could name one fantasy novel in particular that I think does a fantastic job of making the narrator be completely wrong without seeming like an idiot. I also like doing that to my own narrators. ^_^Carradeehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05431561739001270522noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-65834436140682683772010-06-03T15:49:25.555-04:002010-06-03T15:49:25.555-04:00Interesting question Bethany. I wonder if unreliab...Interesting question Bethany. I wonder if unreliable narrators dip into it a little. They saw one thing but the reader soon figures out they can't be trusted and has to figure things out in other ways. Not the same thing, but maybe a second cousin of dramatic irony.<br /><br />Jane, that's a fun question and I think it'll make a good post of its own! Short answer for you: I think it depends on what info you want to share with the reader. If you want them to be surprised, don't drop as many hints. If you want them to figure it out, add more hints and work the irony angle.Janice Hardyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02356672149097741248noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-22801256158009677162010-06-03T15:46:21.155-04:002010-06-03T15:46:21.155-04:00Ahh...Ahh...Ronda Laveenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03902846545309643023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-16069189157109578442010-06-03T10:33:04.156-04:002010-06-03T10:33:04.156-04:00Thank you for explaining it so clearly. I'm a ...Thank you for explaining it so clearly. I'm a big fan of dramatic irony, but knowing EXACTLY what it is has always been a little confusing. I know it when I see it, usually. :) <br />I wonder if dramatic irony could be pulled off with just one point of view in first person. I mean, if the narrator tells the reader something than they obviously know it... hm. It could be a fun puzzle to figure out though. :DBethany Elizabethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12829932931010851406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-19486482658940251252010-06-03T09:42:33.585-04:002010-06-03T09:42:33.585-04:00Great post! It sort of brings to mind a problem I...Great post! It sort of brings to mind a problem I've been having. How do you decide when to go for dramatic irony and when to go for the surprise?Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05189670000302710966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-18889589832031999042010-06-03T08:46:14.490-04:002010-06-03T08:46:14.490-04:00Hats off to you for this post! I find 3rd person ...Hats off to you for this post! I find 3rd person very hard to write, but you offer convincing reasons for why 3rd person can engage the reader and heighten the tension.Jillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05152599507268946811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3901370917824739259.post-79196962712435408182010-06-03T07:28:43.550-04:002010-06-03T07:28:43.550-04:00hehe just imagining all the little plots and possi...hehe just imagining all the little plots and possiblities from something like that is exciting! your advice is awesome- thanks! :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com