Read the fiction. Take notes, make comments on the page or underline passages that stood out to you. Be conscious while reading whether the story or plot has an ironic tone.
Define the fiction’s plot and summarize what it is about. List who the characters are in the story, paying particular interest to the protagonist and/or minor characters.
Define the main character. Determine what type of character he is. Is he ambitious? Overzealous? A hopeless romantic? Determine what the character wants in the story and how he goes about getting it. For instance, the character might be a hopeless romantic, such as Don Quixote, chasing after windmills he thinks are actually giants.
Look at the character and how her wants and desires contrast with the plot or the environment in which the character lives. For instance, Don Quixote’s romanticism contradicts with the actual world he lives in. In The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, the main character is a daydreamer who lives in a world that is far less colorful than his imagination.
Look at the character’s flaws and strengths and how they are used in the plot. Pay attention to how the character’s strengths might prevent him from getting what he wants. For instance, a character’s confidence might lead him to make choices that become hubristic and arrogant.
Reread the ending. Look at whether the character gets what he wants. Pay attention to the tone. Does the writer present the ending in a way that contradicts the character’s view of the world? Determine whether the main character, like MacBeth, comes to realize these contradictions and what effect this has on the story overall.
Write down ways in which the fiction’s irony plays out in the story, plot, characters and so on. Determine what the author intends to convey in the fiction. For instance, MacBeth thinks his ambitions will make him a great king, but Shakespeare clearly shows that his ambitions lead him to his downfall.