Irony is the general name given to literary techniques that involve
surprising, interesting,or amusing contradictions. 1 Two stories that
serve as excellent demonstrations of irony are "The Pardoners Tale" and
"The Nun's Priest's Tale," both from Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.
Although these two stories are very different, they both use irony to teach
a lesson.
Of the stories, "The Pardoners Tale" displays the most irony. First
and foremost, the entire telling of the story is ironic, considering just
who is the teller. The Pardoner uses this story to speak out against many
soc…
