On Casual Language, Part 4: Sarcasm and Irony

Lack of specificity can also come on a more micro level, in terms of an author’s word choice. This too can shatter the spell the author wishes to create. Consider this line from another author with whom I worked, “My parents, who are active Lutherans, weren’t particularly thrilled by this development in George’s life, but they are open minded, open hearted people who are respectful of their adult children’s choices so they have been cool about it, despite their dismay.” 

Were her parents “not particularly thrilled,” or were they “dismayed”? These are not the same. Now, this may seem like a small point, or quibbling, but it’s actually quite important. Powerful writing is logically consistent. It is difficult to make sarcasm “read,” which is the reason why it is often logically inconsistent.

I suppose this note is true only to an extent. A writer can theoretically use sarcasm and irony to good effect (though it doesn’t happen often). But here it just speaks to a disordered mind, and one that is not self-consciously so.