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Humor and Irony

Not all serious texts must be solemn

Irony

A technique that all involves some sort of discrepancy or incongruity.

Verbal Irony

A figure of speech in which the speaker says the opposite of what he or she intends to say

Drama Irony

Contrast between what a character says and what the reader knows to be true

Situational Irony

Discrepancy between appearance and reality, or between expectation and fulfillment, or between what is and what would seem appropriate

Sentimental Writing

Sentimental writing is characterized by an excessive emotionality that often oversimplifies and exaggerates emotions in an attempt to evoke similar intense feelings in the reader. This style is generally considered dishonest about the complexities of real life. Key features include:

  1. Editorializing Language: Attempting to make words do what a faithfully presented situation cannot. This involves instructing readers on how to feel, overwriting, and poeticizing with heightened, disingenuous language to achieve a specific effect.
  2. Selective Use of Detail: Employing an excessively selective approach to detailing, including only those elements that guide the narrative in a single emotional direction. This results in a focus on evoking emotion rather than conveying a truthful depiction.
  3. Stock Materials for Stock Responses: Relying on universally recognized themes such as babies, mothers, young love, and worship due to their strong connotations. This approach avoids the need to realistically depict situations, instead banking on these elements to automatically generate the desired emotional response.
  4. Idealized Representation of Life: Presenting, almost invariably, a "sweet" or overly positive view of life. This involves the use of stock characters, situations, and themes, which contribute to an overly simplistic and often unrealistic portrayal of life's complexities.