IRONY AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF CONCEPT NARCISSISM IN RAMANI DURVASULA'S IT'S NOT YOU

Abstract

This thesis studies the strategic use of irony, a stylistic device in Ramani Durvasula's self-help book, It's Not You: Identifying and Healing from Narcissistic People. It  claims that this device functions as one of major means of shaping the concept narcissism in the reader's perception. Durvasula does not just uses this tool for creating a humoristic atmosphere, she makes the concept of narcissism a relatable, psychological phenomenon by using certain strategies. The analysis focuses on how irony, specifically through the use of rhetorical statements and the exposure of the narcissist's nature, constructs a simple to grasp and clearly identifiable real understanding of narcissistic disorder for the reader. This process, therapeutically concentrating on helping the victims, at the same time can essentialize the psychological concept, changing it from a clinical term into a fixed, narrative archetype or a cliche. This thesis concludes that irony is not  some entertainment device or a criticizing  tool but also an important instrument for identifying, explaining the reality, the mood of the book and  defining the concept "narcissistin the writer’s mind.