An ambitious theoretical work that ranges from the age of Socrates to the late twentieth century, this book traces the development of the concepts of irony within the history of Western literary criticism. Will appeal to a broad spectrum of scholars concerned with the historical basis of critical language and its political implications.

JOSEPH A. DANE is a professor of English at the University of Southern California. He is the author of many books, including most recentlyThe Long and the Short of It: A Practical Guide to European Versification Systems, and Out of Sorts: Typography and Print Culture.