D. C. Muecke 
Irony and the Ironic [PDF ebook] 

First published in 1970 and revised in 1982, this work provides a critical overview of the concept of irony in literary criticism. After establishing the relationship of the ironical and the non-ironical, it summarises the history of the concept of irony, before isolating and discussing its basic aspects and the variable features that determine its nature, effect and quality.The book will be a useful resource for those studying irony and English Literature.