Reading "Clay" Ironically

Reading "Clay" Ironically

Although irony is no stranger to the common man in contemporary times, it is a subject of great controversy and interest in literary circles. There has been much academic discussion about this tricky trope and there will probably never be consensus in the understanding of irony amongst those who study it. Nevertheless, it is still rewarding to try to gain some fundamental understanding of this way of "saying one thing and meaning another" (Hutcheon, 37) because those who succeed in unravelling this intriguing process receive a sense of "special 'intellectual' satisfaction felt from dealing with ambiguity and paradox, contradiction and incongruity" (42).

However, this is not necessarily always the case as irony can be rather perplexing at times. Although there may be signs and signals and evidence that it exists in a text, the reader may find it difficult to pinpoint the nature and functioning of the irony (Montgomery et. al. 167). A case in point would be James Joyce's short narrative "Clay".

The story's simplicity of language belies a very complicated narrative structure whose workings are almost inscrutable. Especially where irony is concerned, it is a challenging task to determine how irony functions, how it is manifested in the text and whether it is even present in the first place. Nevertheless, there are several textual elements which are sympathetic to the claim that "Clay" can be read ironically.

According to Montgomery et al., "structural irony involves a collection of incorrect beliefs which are held by--and define--a fictional character" (164). This character is necessarily ignorant that his/her beliefs have been falsely placed, while the audience and by inference, the author,...

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...Montgomery etl al. 169) which challenges and stirs the mind as it goes beyond its natural workings of understanding words as they are presented. It is a kind of "aesthetic experience" (169) whose appeal lies in the multiple interpretations made possible by the ambiguous nature of irony. Frustrating as it is, one gets a kick out of (trying) to understand irony.

Works Cited

Attridge, Derek. "Touching 'Clay': Reference and reality in Dubliners." Joyce Effects: On Language, Theory, and History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2000. 35-51.

Hutcheon, Linda. Irony's Edge: The Theory and Politics of Irony. London: Routledge, 1994.

Joyce, James. "Clay". Dubliners. New York: The Modern Library, 1969. 99-106.

Montgomery, Martin et. al. "Irony." Ways of Reading. Advanced Reading Skills for Students of English Literature. London: Routledge, 2000. 161-171.