Joan Bernat i Baldoví: l'estètica de la paròdia

Abstract

The present article is an attempt to show the importance of parody in the literary output of Josep Bernat i Baldoví. It is a well-known fact that humour and burlesque are the basis of the sainet (short farce). And the Valencian author in question is no exception. Moreover, without abandoning humorous play, Bernat directs a very considerable part of his creative effort towards exploitation of parody, that is, ludic recreation of literary tradition, so that it becomes a typical feature of his work. And it is not present solely in his plays, but also abounds in his narrative, as manifest by the unfinished novel Els misteris de Patraix (The mysteries of Patraix), a parody of the well-known masterpiece of the French newspaper serial by Eugène Sue. The present study of Bernats dramatic parody enables us to discover the complexity and richness of the various different procedures he used and the diversity of the results obtained.