In her book, Barbe discusses verbal irony as an interpretative notion. Verbal irony is described in its various realizations and thus placed within linguistics and pragmatics. From the point of view of an analyzing observer, Barbe provides an eclectic approach to irony in context, a study of how conversational irony works, and how it compares with other concepts in which it plays a role. In addition, by means of the analysis of irony as an integrated pervasive feature of language, Barbe questions some basic unstated, literacy and culture-dependent, assumptions about language. Her study of irony complements contemporary research in the area of conversational analysis. (Publisher Book Description) Acknowledgments xi An Invitation to Irony 3 "But that's not ironic" 15 Linguistic Approaches to Irony 33 Traditional Approaches to Irony 61 Taking Stock 73 Irony and Jokes 93 Irony and Lies 111 Explicit Irony 131 The Translation of Irony 145 Epilogue 171 Notes 177 References 189 Index 203