Irony

Personally, I often have difficulty in deciding just how humorous I want my writing to be. While it is very true that you don't want dry, dull text that doesn't grab the reader's attention, you also generally don't want to include jokes (there are many exceptions of course).

Fortunately, there are many different types of humour and several of these are extremely useful tools. Some of these types of humour include anecdotes, banter, burlesque (a form of satire), irony, parody, repartee, satire, sarcasm and wit (i.e wordplay).

Not all of these can be used when writing but several of them are invaluable. For example, how many books have been lightened up, even for a moment, by a little bantering between characters? In my opinion, Ranger's Apprentice, by John Flanagan is an excellent example of this. It keeps the reader engaged all the time, and yet is still able to convey a sense of passing time.

Given the title, you've probably guessed by now that I'm planning to talk about irony. Irony is 'using words to express something completely different from the literal meaning' or, in other words,
'The expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.'

The following quotes seemed to express irony and its use in society.

'I never read a book before reviewing it. It prejudices a man so.'
Sydney Smith

'I read part of it all the way through.'
Samuel Goldwyn

'It is a secret in the Oxford sense. You may tell it to only one person at a time.'
Lord Franks

I really enjoy reading books with a bit of irony. For me, they make the story so much more enjoyable and much more riveting.

What do you think? Is it useful to think about such techniques or is it better to try and write without assessing too much?