Fall 2011
Description
The purpose of this seminar is to introduce students to the remarkable development in comic fiction in America after the Second World War. In his book The Last Laugh, Ronald Wallace discusses the fact that "the characteristic form of the contemporary American novel [is] a comedy that incorporates the violence and chaos of modern life." Wallace convincingly demonstrates that for better or worse the tragic perspective is simply not the typical mode of artistic response in this period; instead, comedy, used as a potent weapon against defeat and despair, is the response writer after writer employs in shaping their visions of the modern era. The class will be not only to introduce students to major voices in this period--Vonnegut, Berger, Nabokov--but also to examine classical and contemporary theories of comic literature. Students will read primary texts as well as selected secondary materials that represent a spectrum of critical theories, thus gaining an understanding of individual novels and writers, theories of comedy, and an aesthetic spirit of the period.
Schedule of Assignments (PDF copy of the syllabus here)
M--8/29--Introduction
W-8/31--OVERVIEW: "from An Essay on Comedy," Meredith; "from
Laughter," Bergson; &
"Comedy and the Comic Spirit," Corrigan
M--9/5--HOLIDAY
W--9/7-CATCH-22;"The Mythos of Spring: Comedy," Frye
M--9/12- "
W--9/14-- "
M--9/19-- "
W--9/21--CAT'S CRADLE (1963); "The Comic Rhythm," Langer
M--9/26-- "
W--9/28-- "
M--10/3-- "
W--10/5--THE FEUD (1984) [book out-of-print; must order
onlilne, but there are many eidtions available]; "A Defintion of
Comedy," Grawe
M--10/10-- " RESEARCH TUTORIAL
W--10/12-- "
M--10/17-- "
W--10/19--MIDTERM (see Mock Midterm)
(sample of successful midterm)
M--10/24--LOLITA (1958); "The Range and Limits of Comedy," Grawe
W--10/26-- " ANNOTATED BIB DUE (instructions
for bib) (bib quiz answers)
M--11/1-- "
W--11/3-- "
F--11/5-- "
M--10/31--THE KID (1972); "Never Mind That the Nag's a Pile of Bones,"
Wallace
W--11/12- " DRAFT OF PAPER DUE (critique form)
M--11/14-- "
W--11/16-- " PAPER DUE (paper topics)
M--11/21--THE FUNERAL MAKERS (1986)
W--11/23--HOLIDAY
M--11/28--FUNERAL MAKERS
W--11/30-- "
M--12/5-- "
W--12/7--TAKE HOME FINAL DUE
TEXTS
| Joseph Heller, Catch-22 |
| Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle |
| Thomas Berger, The Feud |
| Vladimir Nabokov, Lolita |
| John Seelye, The Kid |
| Cathie Pelletier, The Funeral Makers |
The final course grade will be based on:
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1 essay midterm (bring blue book)
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*To miss any of the assignments above will result in an automatic failure of
the course. NO EXCEPTIONS.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: COMIC THEORY
"from An Essay on Comedy," George Meredith (1877)
1.) Given that this is only an excerpt, what is the general idea of the essay; what thesis or fundamental concept is Meredith advancing?
2.) What does Meredith suggest that comedy does; how does it operate?
"from Laughter," Henri Bergson (1900)
1.) What is the point or central idea of this essay (or portion thereof)?
2.) On p. 474, Bergson offers a crucial distinction that other theorists have debated often--the idea of "something mechanical encrusted on the living." What is the significance of this phrase and its implications?
3.) Compare Meredith and Bergson; do they differ in any significant ways?
"Comedy and the Comic Spirit," Robert W. Corrigan (1965)
1.) What is the comic spirit that Corrigan cites in his title?
2.) W/ this notion of the comic spirit in mind, what is comic about the anecdote quoted from the newspaper?
3.) What is the point of quoting and then discussing Aristotle?
4.) For centuries critics and readers have contended that there are certain subjects that are inherently tragic and others comic; what does Corrigan have to say on this subject?
"The Mythos of Spring: Comedy," Northrop Frye (1957)
1.) What is Frye's thesis or central point?
2.) Frye defines four basic character types in comedy; what are these and what are their dominant traits?
3.) Frye also defines the basic plots or structures of comedies; what are these and what are their defining traits?
"The Comic Rhythm," Susanne Langer (1953)
1.) What is this essay's thesis or central point?
2.) What is Langer suggesting w/ her discussion of Destiny and Fortune?
3.) What does Langer have to say about humor and comedy?
4.) What is the point of her extended discussion of the buffoon figure?
"A Definition of Comedy" Paul Grawe (1983)
1.) Once again we have a scholar discussing Aristotle; what is Grawe's point
and where does he go with this reference?
2.) What then is his idea of comedy; how does he define it?
3.) What are the key elements of this definition which Grawe examines as "key principles of comedy?"
"The Range and Limits of Comedy"--Paul Grawe (1983)
1.) Grawe identifies six phases or plot types of comedy; what are these and what are their salient characteristics?
2.) What unites all of these phases or types; what is the consistent element in each?
3.) Once again Grawe mentions the idea of patterning; to what end? What is the point of the idea of patterning; how is it significant to the issues he discusses in this essay?
"Never Mind That the Nag's a Pile of Bones"--Ronald Wallace
1.) What is the general point of the essay; what is Wallace suggesting here?
2.) How does Wallace view Frye and his theories of the alazon and eiron?
3.) Wallace discusses the methods of narration in these novels; what does he have to say on this subject?
4.) What is his point concerning the strong element of evil in these works?
5.) Wallace tells us that the cont. novel does not display the hero's integration into society, what does he say happens to the hero?
6.) Besides satire, what is the other comic mode that Wallace singles out for consideration?
7.) Finally, what is the point of section 6?
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: COMIC NOVELS
CATCH-22
1.) Who is the narrator and what is his/her point of view? To what extent can we trust this narrator?
2.) Explain the significance of the novel's confusing time sequence? Why do
you suppose events are presented in such a scrambled fashion?
3.) Why does the action gradually narrow until, near the end, events are narrated in a straightforward manner? Where does this narrowing begin to take place?
4.) What is the significance of Yossarian's journey into the street of Rome in Chap. 39?
5.) Explain the significance of the novel's title. What does this term suggest; how might it be important, or do you suppose it is strictly random?
6.) Describe the novel's comic elements. More specifically, what do you think makes this a comic novel?
CAT'S CRADLE
1.) Analyze the narrative pont of view. What kind of narrator is this; who is this person? How does this narrator affect the reader's perceptions?
2.) Compare Dr. Hoenikker and Bokonon. What does each of these figures represent? How do they advance any of the novel's themes?
3.) Explain the significance of the Bokonon-Earl McCabe feud. In what ways is their opposition to one another important?
4.) Explain the novel's title?
5.) Analyze the novel's comic elements. What are these and how do they operate?
THE FEUD
1.) What is the importance of setting in the novel? How does it operate; what do we come to know about these places?
2.) Why are there so many reversals in the action and characterizations? Does Berger know what he's doing; is there a method to the apparent madness?
3.) Who is the hero of this work and why?
4.) Often traditional comedies will reveal characters dominated by a particular humor or distinguishing trait. Is there a dominate trait discernible in these figure? In other words, what animates and drives them?
5.) Analyze the comic elements. Is this a comedy; if so, why?
LOLITA
1.) What is the point of the many references to Annabel Lee?
2.) Explain the significance of the many foreign phrases and sentences.
3.) Analyze the importance of the many scenes of Humbert and Lolita on the road.
4.) Does Humber Humbert change over the course of time and as a result of his experience? Explain.
5.) Analyze the novel's style; is it overwritten; if so how do you account for this feature?
6.) Analyze the novel's major points or themes.
7.) Discuss the novel's comic features.
THE KID
1.) Who is the narrator; is he reliable/ What is his contribution to the narrative?
2.) What conventions of the traditional western novel is Seelye working with?
3.) Explain the significance of the novel's epigraphs (the Virgil quote is translated as "the days of the Kid should be observed by us").
4.) In Chapter III the reader learns that the Kid's "bible" is a book penned by a man named Brisbin. Explain the significance or his work for the Kid and for the novel at large.
5.) Explain the novels comic elements.
THE FUNERAL MAKERS
1.) Analyze the Introduction and other prefatory material. How are these important and what bearing do they have on the novel?
2.) Analyze the novel's comic elements.
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