Politics of Irony in Philip Roth’s Operation Shylock: A Confession

Abstract

Thisresearch paper examines Roth’s politics behind using irony inOperation Shylock: A Confession. It explores the ways of using history tooppresstheexilic communityand also investigates their resistance for authentic history.The brutal violence towards subordinated group is presented ironically in order to mockatIsraeli Jews’ incapability of forgetting the past and to challenge their authenticity by proposing the Jews to return their home. By takingthe theoretical insightsof irony as proposed by Linda Hutcheon and Claire Colebrook, this paper investigates Roth’s politics of making comic and politicaluse of irony. By using irony’strans-ideologicaland subversive function, this research reveals how irony helps to question dominant discourseofhistory and at the same time to reinforce the marginalized values. The research further uncovers how Rothemploys irony to raise voice of the voiceless and aware the ruling elites by unmasking complexities, dualities, ambiguities, and shifting realities of dominant culture.