e.g. “Women love us for our defects”(p.142).

“The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that

every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future”(p.140).

The most favoured subject for Wilde’s cynical comments is a woman and her position in the society of that time.

e.g. “Nothing spoils a romance so much as a sense of humour in the

woman”(p.108).

“Women are pictures. Men are problems.

If you want to know a woman really means, which is absolutely a

dangerous thing to do-look at her, do not listen to her”(p.138).

“You women live by your emotions and for them”(p.137).

Thus, we can see that epigrams and paradoxes play one of the most important roles in Wilde’s plays. With the help of these stylistic devices Wilde reflects his own viewpoints on the society of his time, his opinions about life, love and friendship, men and women. His judgements are the sharp and biting remarks. They are used in the plainest and the most direct sense. Wilde does not conceal his inner feelings and thoughts about the decomposition of intellectual world and English society. These epigrams and paradoxes are short and laconic, and are not very complex that makes them easy for remembering. So, paradoxes and epigrams create the individuality of Oscar Wilde. Wilde is famous for his brilliant epigrams and the wittiest paradoxes.

IRONY and PUN

In irony, which is the very interesting item for consideration, subjectivity lies in the evaluation of the phenomenon named. The essence of this stylistic device consists in the foregrounding not of the logical but of the evaluative meaning. The context is arranged so that the qualifying word in irony reverses the direction of the evaluation, and the word positively charged is understood as a negative qualification and vice versa.

According to professor Galperin I.R., irony is a stylistic device based on the simultaneous realisation of two logical meanings- dictionary and contextual, but the two meanings stand in opposition to each other.12

According to Professor Kukharenko V.A., irony is a stylistic device in which the contextual evaluative meaning of a word is directly opposite to its dictionary meaning.13 So, like many other stylistic devices, irony does not exist outside the context. Irony must not be confused with humour, although they have very much in common. Humour always causes laughter. What is funny must come as a sudden clash of the positive and the negative. In this respect irony can be likened to humour. But the function of irony is not confined to producing a humorous effect. In a sentence like that: “How clever you are, Mr.Hopper” (p.43), where due to the intonation pattern, the word “clever” conveys a sense opposite to its literal signification. The irony does not cause a ludicrous effect. It rather expresses a feeling of irritation and displeasure. Here are some examples of irony:

e.g. “Oh, I love London Society! I think it has immensely

improved. It is entirely composed now of beautiful

idiots and brilliant lunatics. Just what Society

should be.” (p.175)

“And in England a man who can’t talk morality

twice a week to a large, popular, immoral

audience is quite over as a serious politician.”

(p.210)

“All women become like their mothers. That is

their tragedy. No man does. That is his.” (p.300)

These examples show that irony is a mode of speech in which the opposite of what is said is meant. The speaker of the first example, Mabel Chiltern does not really think that it is good for London Society to consist of “beautiful idiots and brilliant lunatics”. Wilde’s method of ironical usage is mostly direct: he speaks of the decomposition of people, their ideals and values. The effect of irony lies in the striking disparity between what is said and what is meant. This is achieved through the intentional interplay of two meanings, which are in opposition to each other.

e.g. “No woman should have a memory. Memory in a

woman is a beginning of dowdiness”. (p.144)

“My father told me to go to bed an hour ago. I

don’t see why I shouldn’t give you the same

advice. I always pass on good advice. It is the

only thing to do with it. It is never of any use to

oneself.” (p.197)

“I knew we should come to an amicable

agreement.” (p.194)

The context is one most important things when we use irony. The word “advice” is suggested for acceptance if it is good and for rejection if it is not good, but not for passing on it. In fact, Lord Goring, the speaker of this phrase, is a serious person, who knows that a good advice may be very useful. As for the last example, here the word “amicable” is contrary to the word “blackmail” with the help of which this agreement was achieved by Mrs. Chevely. Mrs. Chevely is an “immoralist” of English Society.

e.g. “People are either hunting for husbands or hiding

from them” (p.181)

“Oh, I like tedious, practical subjects. What I don’t

like are tedious,