Irony, sarcasm and other resources in the journalistic works of Joan Fuster: the case of the Notes d’un desficiós (1979-1984)

Irony is among the discursive techniques employed by the essayist and columnist Joan Fuster i Ortells (1922-1992). This register, which the writer used in diferent ways, is also present in his journalistic production. This journalistic body of work has a significnat place within “the journalism of ideas” in Catalan and Spanish of the second half of the 20th century. Fuster’s uses of this resource and its the different ways and degrees to which he employed it were conditioned by aspects such as the intended audience, the newspaper where a given article or column was to be published; the issue or issues being addressed, the historical and thematic context of the text and, of course, events in the author’s life. This paper analyzes Fuster’s use of ironic expression in 253 Notes d’un desficiós newspaper columns, which were published in the Qué y Dónde event listings guide of the city of València between 1979 and 1984.