1.2　Research Methodology

In literary pragmatics，Speech Act Theory stands as a dominant theory and has witnessed a wide range of application.Using qualitative research method，this paper tries to make a tentative use of SAT to the analysis of irony in Sense and Sensibility，as it is believed that irony is the fundamental feature of the novel.This analysis is done in order to demonstrate that irony of various forms in a literary work can be properly described within the frame work of SAT.Thus，it also deepens the understanding of the text as well as the characters in the novel.