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Hyperbole
Definition of Irony
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this seems like a loose definition... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are. If this... read full definition
Irony is a literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how... read full definition
Irony
Explanation and Analysis—What's in a Name:
Lady Fidget, Lady Squeamish, and Mrs. Dainty are all assigned names that evoke traditional qualities assigned to women. These names imply that they are delicate and unable to handle difficult situations—that they are, in a word, fragile. The words "fidget," "squeamish," and "dainty" are all intended to elicit specific aspects of stereotypical femininity. "Fidget" calls to mind the image of a person with a short attention span. "Squeamish" implies a decidedly laughable aversion to anything dirty or uncomfortable. "Dainty" evokes a sense of delicacy.
These names and their implications contradict the ladies' actual behavior and topics of conversation, generating situational irony that is, in turn, ripe for spawning satire. The play calls to attention the fact that women are often neglected sexually and emotionally by their husbands. Such a topic of conversation would be unlikely to come up amongst women attempting to embody the traditional, self-sacrificing stereotype of upper-class femininity. While on the surface, these ladies aspire to traditional concepts of honor and dignity, they use this attitude to mask their actual desires. Horner calls the three women out for this, noting that they view pretensions of honor and dignity as unrelated or even opposed to the sexual liberation they secretly crave.
Related Themes:
Act 1
Explanation and Analysis—Nature:
In Act 1, Scene 1, Horner, Harcourt, and Dorilant shift from a misogynistic commentary on the role of mistresses to a cutting critique of Sparkish, whom all the men agree is foolish for erroneously claiming to be intelligent and quick. In the course of their critique, Horner employs personification to emphasize his point:
HORNER. Such wits as he are, to a company of reasonable men, like rooks to the gamesters, who only fill a room at the table, but are so far from contributing to the play that they only serve to spoil the fancy of those that do.
DORILANT. Nay, they are used like rooks too, snubbed, checked, and abused; yet the rogues will hang on.
HORNER. A pox upon ’em, and all that force nature, and would be still what she forbids ’em! Affectation is her greatest monster.
Horner personifies nature in the course of this conversation, using this as a means to legitimize his argument against Sparkish's behavior. Throughout The Country Wife, Horner displays a marked dislike of anyone attempting to masquerade as something they aren't. His implication here is that unintelligent people shouldn't pretend to be intelligent, since nature has apparently chosen to not make them intelligent. Of course, given the fact that Horner himself is pretending to be impotent, this sentiment is a good example of situational irony—he, after all, is effectively defying nature by pretending to be something he's not, which is exactly what he criticizes Sparkish for.
Related Themes:
