Irony and the Modern Theatre

Irony and theater share intimate kinships, not only regarding dramatic conflict, dialectic, or wittiness, but also scenic structure and the verbal or situational ironies that typically mark theatrical speech and action. Yet irony today, in aesthetic, literary, and philosophical contexts especially, is often regarded with skepticism – as ungraspable, or elusive to the point of confounding. Countering this tendency, Storm advocates a wide-angle view of this master trope, exploring the ironic in major works by playwrights including Chekhov, Pirandello, and Brecht, and in notable relation to well-known representative characters in drama from Ibsen's Halvard Solness to Stoppard's Septimus Hodge and Wasserstein's Heidi Holland. To the degree that irony is existential, its presence in the theater relates directly to the circumstances and the expressiveness of the characters on stage. This study investigates how these key figures enact, embody, represent, and personify the ironic in myriad situations in the modern and contemporary theater.

• Presents a comprehensive treatment of irony in relation to modern theatre and drama
• Focuses on irony in a carefully chosen selection of major plays and playwrights including Chekhov and Brecht, with emphasis on well-known representative characters to provide specific examples
• Looks at irony inclusively, with a wide angle rather than a restrictive or esoteric view, avoiding specialized terminology