Irony & Paradox

Irony says one thing to mean another; paradox holds contradictions in tension. Both create complexity. "Your love kills me" is paradox—love should heal, not harm. That contradiction IS the insight.

Dramatic irony is when readers/audience know something the character doesn't. Verbal irony is sarcasm. Situational irony is when events contradict expectation. Paradox is harder but more powerful: "It's the beginning of the end" or "Loving you means leaving you."

Don't explain your irony or paradox; let it stand. If you explain, you kill it. Readers must hold the contradiction and extract meaning from tension.