History HypocriticalHumor / Literature

** In ''Literature/{{Jingo}}'', Sergeant Colon spent the entire book as TheClavin, telling Nobby LittleKnownFacts about Klatch, the ocean and, at one point, tattoos. When someone ''else'' in a crowd started expounding on donkeys and minarets, he muttered "There's always a know-all". Nobby agreed.

** Sergeant Jackrum from ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment'' is in the habit of saying [[CatchPhrase "Upon my oath, I am not a (adjective) man!"]] and immediately proving it untrue - e.g., "Upon my oath, I am not a violent man!" followed by him punching someone. The way he uses the line implies, "...but now you've forced me to do this.", and [[spoiler: as it turns out, Sergeant Jackrum is not [[SweetPollyOliver any sort of man]]]].
** In ''Discworld/{{Jingo}}'', Sergeant Colon spent the entire book as TheClavin, telling Nobby LittleKnownFacts about Klatch, the ocean and, at one point, tattoos. When someone ''else'' in a crowd started expounding on donkeys and minarets, he muttered "There's always a know-all". Nobby agreed.

** Back in ''Discworld/GuardsGuards'', Colon was already doing this:

** And he repeats the above line in, again, ''Discworld/{{Jingo}}'', after Vimes has a word with him about calling Goriff a "raghead", and he tells Nobby ''he's'' never minded what people call him.

** Magrat in ''Discworld/WyrdSisters'' is incensed by being treated as a WickedWitch, and responds thusly: "Witches are benevolent and peaceful, and live in harmony with Nature, and it's sinful of them to say otherwise. We ought to [[CruelAndUnusualDeath fill their bones with hot lead]]."

* ''Literature/KattVsDogg'': While Oscar and Molly are hiking towards a landmark, Oscar spies a small animal [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny and immediately starts to chase it, which Molly yells at him to stop doing. When Oscar stops, Molly spies a small insect [[NotSoDifferent and immediately gives chase]], ignoring Oscar when he yells at her to stop it.

* ''Literature/KattVsDogg'': While Oscar and Molly are hiking towards a landmark, Oscar spies a small animal [[AttentionDeficitOohShiny and immediately starts to chase it, which Molly yells at him to stop doing. When Oscar stops, Molly spies a small insect [NotSoDifferent and immediately gives chase]], ignoring Oscar when he yells at her to stop it.

** In the very [[Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone first book]], Vernon believes that wizards will be unable to deliver Harry's letter if he nails the mail slot shut because: "'These people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me,' said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the [[IndestructibleEdible piece]] of [[EveryoneHatesFruitcake fruitcake]] Aunt Petunia had just brought him."

** In the very [[Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone first book]], Vernon believes that wizards will be unable to deliver Harry's letter if he nails the mail slot shut because: "'These people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me,' said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him."

* ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby'': Tom talking about being a superior "Nordic" despite his last name being ''Buchanan'' is an example, at least if you could prove that he subscribes to a racialist theory that does not include Scots among the "Nordic race". However, a great many such theories not only include Scots, but also Irishmen and other Celts among the "Nordics".
** Tom again, UpToEleven, long time after he has cheated Daisy, discovers she could cheat him with Gatsby:
-->"I suppose the latest thing is to sit back and let [[NouveauRiche Mr. Nobody from Nowhere]] make love to your wife. Well, if that's the idea you can count me out... Nowadays people begin by sneering at family life and family institutions and next [[UpToEleven they'll throw everything overboard and have intermarriage between black and white."]]\\

* Paarfi, the LemonyNarrator of the ''Literature/KhaavrenRomances'', will sometimes note that he wants to be brief and/or doesn't want to waste the reader's time... right in the middle of paragraphs-long digressions on things that have nothing to do with the story.

** In ''The Amulet of Samarkand'', seeking a way to confine Bartimaeus, Nathaniel pulls out a tin labeled "Old Chokey," which Bartimaeus recognizes as being a tobacco tin, asking Bartimaeus "Don't you know smoking kills?" Nathaniel replies that it no longer contains tobacco, but rather rosemary, a potent herb for repelling demons, and lifts the lid to give him a whiff of the scent.

** Sergeant Jackrum from ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment'' is in the habit of saying [[CatchPhrase "Upon my oath, I am not a (adjective) man!"]] and immediately proving it untrue - e.g., "Upon my oath, I am not a violent man!" followed by him punching someone. The way he uses the line implies, "...but now you've forced me to do this.", and [[spoiler: as it turns out, Sergeant Jackrum is not a [[SweetPollyOliver man]]]].

* ''Literature/TheCandidatesBasedOnATrueCountry'' is built on this. About the first thing we learn about is the Republicans throwing a ''Kill the Abortionists'' pro-life rally (complete with a planned public execution of a kidnapped abortion doctor), and the Democrats responding with a counter-rally where they fire oil-drenched birds out of T-shirt launchers to protest Skip's environmental record. Oh, and when they find themselves short on ammo, they quickly raid a nearby zoo for endangered birds, drench them in oil and fire them out of the T-shirt launchers.

* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'', hypocritical humor tends to follow this format:

** Lampshaded in the second book: when Ron is rescuing Harry by a magic car, he chastises Harry for (allegedly[[note]]it was actually Dobby[[/note]]) using magic outside school. Harry wryly replies, "bit rich coming from you." The Weasley boys clarified that it was their father who enchanted the car, which is a fine distinction that doesn't help since they were risking exposure with a flying car
** In the very first book, Vernon believes that wizards will be unable to deliver Harry's letter if he nails the mail slot shut because: "'These people's minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they're not like you and me,' said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruitcake Aunt Petunia had just brought him."

* At one point in ''The Last Camel Died at Noon'', AmeliaPeabody Emerson pats herself on the back for nagging her husband into a certain course of action. When it goes badly a few pages later, she notes that if he'd listened to her, he would never have taken that course. Apparently, she forgot to [[{{Retcon}} edit]] the relevant portion of her journal.

* In the Literature/SherlockHolmes story ''The Man with the Twisted Lip'', we learn that Holmes holds people smoking opium in quite a low esteem. Him being a cocaine addict doesn't change this. This was, however, a typical stance back then -- cocaine and heroin were OK for upper class if not overdone, while opium was a low man's drug. The narration makes it clear that Watson sees it as this trope.

* One of the {{Running Gag}}s of Creator/JamesHerriot's [[UnreliableNarrator semi-autobiographical]] series of memoirs was his boss Siegfried Farnon's habit of advising James (and others) to take a certain course of action -- only to turn around and advise them against it a short time later, or do the exact opposite himself. Sometimes ''in the same scene''. At one point he notes that James has been dillydallying about courting Helen, and bullies James into proposing; after Helen accepts, Farnon promptly berates James for rushing into marriage. The kicker is that when confronted, Siegfried feigns complete amnesia re: the previous conversations, then gently, maddeningly, chides the other for getting so upset. On more than one occasion Herriot describes wanting to hit him when this "saintly look" comes over his face.

* In JohnCWright's ''[[Literature/CountToTheEschaton The Hermetic Millennia]]'', Lady Ivinia talks of how, as a Chimera woman, it is her place to be silent and obey, and how she is meek and gentle, in the same long speech where she effectively orders the men to deal with the enemy they face, and commit suicide if they fail.

* Paarfi, the LemonyNarrator of the ''[[{{Dragaera}} Khaavren Romances]]'', will sometimes note that he wants to be brief and/or doesn't want to waste the reader's time... right in the middle of paragraphs long digressions on things that have nothing to do with the story.