What does the literary device "irony" refer to?

Irony refers to a contrast between expectation and reality, which can reveal underlying truths or add depth to a situation. When something is ironic, it often involves a twist where the outcome is different from what one would expect. This discrepancy can serve to highlight human folly, mistakes, or unexpected consequences in a narrative. For example, if a fire station burns down, it is ironic because one would expect a place devoted to fighting fires to be the least likely to catch fire. This element of surprise or contradiction often adds layers of meaning to a story, prompting readers to reflect on deeper themes or messages within the text.

The other options do not accurately capture the essence of irony: one refers to predictability, another concerns hyperbole, and the last refers to a thematic element. Each of these serves different functions in literature but does not embody the core idea of irony as a contrast between what is expected and what actually happens.