An example of the casm to illustrate sarcasm:
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honourable man.
With casm:
Yet Brutus says he was ambitious; And Brutus is an honourable man¡
Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, spoken by Marc Anthony
This quote is from the ‘Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;’ speech in which Marc Anthony announces Julius Caesar’s death. Since Brutus murdered Caesar, the sarcasm in this is that the people believe Brutus is honourable yet he is not and so Marc Anthony is playing on their beliefs.
As an example of the casm as an aid to insincerity:
‘How pleasant it is to spend an evening in this way! I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book!’
With casm:
‘How pleasant it is to spend an evening in this way¡ I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading¡ How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book¡’ Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice Spoken by Miss Bingley to Elizabeth Bennett, the former is actually contemptuous of the latter’s scholarly pursuits.
The Quasm
Occasionally in conversation sarcasm or insincerity arises in the form of a question. In literature at the moment there is no way for an author to distinguish between a normal question and a sarcastic question. If one merely used a casm, then it would not fit the English language’s requirement to end a question with the appropriate mark. Yet if it was ended with a question mark we fall back to the beginning of the dilemma. It is obvious therefore that a variant of the casm is necessary; the quasm. The quasm (¿) follows the same rules as a casm yet shows that a question is sarcastic and so expects a specific answer in reply. The quasm would also be used to punctuate a question which has been asked insincerely for no purpose other than asking a question.
As an example of the quasm in a sarcastic question:
‘ Do you really want to do that?’
With quasm:
‘Do you really want to do that¿’
The first version of this question could be a sincere enquiry yet in the second we can tell that the speaker is mocking a suggestion that has been made.
As an example of the quasm in an insincere question:
‘Can I help you?’
57
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker