An Analysis of The Thurber Carnival
The Fables for Our Time contained in Thurber's The Thurber Carnival are, in my opinion, particularly good examples of a writer successfully 'breaking frames' in order to create humor and satire. In this essay I am going to explore the main methods Thurber uses to create humor and satire in the fables "The Shrike and the Chipmunks" and "The Unicorn in the Garden"2.
Firstly though, what do I mean by the 'broken frame'? This is a reference to the idea that the violation of our 'frames of reference', and the recognition of the incongruity caused by it, is the basic element of humour. If the incongruity needs to be explained, the humour will be lost. Kant expresses this idea when he says "Laughter is an affection arising from a strained expectation being suddenly reduced to nothing"3.
Thurber violates several different types of expectation in his attempts to create humour and satire. These range from expectation of the rules of fable and other literature, to expectation of characterisation, and expectation of the familiar saying.
"The Shrike and the Chipmunks", is first and foremost a parody of the traditional fable. It has all the traditional ingredients: the anthropomorphised Chipmunks, corresponding with stereotyped human characters, the building of suspense over a perceived right and wrong type of behaviour, a corresponding climax, and a moral at the end.
Anthropomorphism is a common technique of humour. Umberto Eco explains that this is so that the audience can laugh at the 'broken frame', without the discomfort of empathy with the frame breaker. "It is for this reason that the animalisation of the comic hero is so important"4. But quite apart from this use, Thur...
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Kant, Immanuel.
Critique of Judgement, Book II. E307 Photocopy. pp. 196-203.
Thurber, James.
The Thurber Carnival. Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin Books, 1983.
End Notes
1. Umberto Eco, "Frames of Comic Freedom," in Carnival!, ed. T. A. Sebeok (Berlin: Mouton Publishers, 1984), p. 4.
2. James Thurber, The Thurber Carnival (Harmondsworth, Middlesex, England: Penguin Books, 1983). Fables for Our Time pp. 278 - 305. "The Shrike and the Chipmunks" pp. 290-291. "The Unicorn in the Garden" pp. 304-305.
3. Immanuel Kant, Critique of Judgement, Book II, E307 Photocoy. p. 199.
4. Eco, p. 2.
5. Thurber, p. 290.
6. Thurber, p. 290.
7. Thurber, p. 291.
8. Thurber, p.305.
9. Burton Bernstein, Thurber: A Biography (Great Britain: Lowe & Brydone, 1975), p. 308.
10. Eco, p. 2.
In Ehrenreich’s Nickel and Dimed, the author frequently focuses on the demeanor and appearance of the people she meets and sees during her research trips. Throughout the book she makes witty, opinionated comments that can easily be taken out of context. Because of this, her wisecracks convey the impression of her being narrow-minded. Also, these comments do not help her with any of her arguments because of how she comes off. Ehrenreich improper use of humor puts across the impression of her being biased.
Thoughtful laughter is a technique used frequently in satirical pieces in literature. It allows for the audience to enjoy the wittiness of a work, later ponder on the meaning, and then apply the message to reality. Thoughtful laughter is often an inner experience that can only be achieved by authors who write meticulously. Two examples of satirical works in literature that display this concept explicitly are Voltaire’s Candide and C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. Both authors explore the depths of satire and simultaneously deliver an important message to readers through skillful technique.
The films Young Frankenstein and One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest can be viewed as a critical analysis of society’s issues and dysfunctions in the form of satire and parody using humor. While Young Frankenstein, Mel Brooks cinematic version of the gothic novel, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, uses parody in the form of Horatian satire, which is achieved through gentle ridicule and using a tone that is indulgent, tolerant, amused and witty. The film One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, the adaptation of the Ken Kesey novel, uses a form of satire called Juvenalian satire which is demonstrated in the form of attacks on vice and error with contempt and indignation. Horatian satire will produce a humor response from the reader instead of anger or indignation as Juvenalian satire. Juvenalian satire, in its realism and its harshness, is in strong contrast to Horatian satire (Kent and Drury).
Deciphering what the comic impulse means to us is a positive step that may bring a number of outcomes. Perhaps it may produce more writers who are capable of making us laugh – a very welcome addition, given this current population’s slog through their respective careers. The comic impulse is, according to Almond, a human defense mechanism. I like to think that he’s right. The effects of the comic impulse can be seen by looking at history – a very significant example being Charlie Chaplin in the early/mid-1900s – and one could presume that further effects could still be had through recognition of the comic
Many critics have attempted definitions of Black Humor, none of them entirely successfully. The most significant recurring features of these definitions are that Black Humor works with: absurdity, ironic detachment4; opposing moral views held in equipoise, humanity's lack of a sense of purpose in the unpredictable nuclear age, the realization of the complexity of moral and aesthetic experience which affects the individual's ability to choose a course of action5; and a playing with the reader's ideas of reality6.
Mandel, Oscar. "What's so funny? : The Nature of the Comic." Antioch Review. 30.1 (1970): 73-89. Print.
Primarily used in satire is the literary device, irony, which is often displayed in both Swift’s essay and Voltaire’s novella; it is used to convey the duplicity of certain ...
Mark Twain’s piece of literature ‘The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County’ is a grounding book for many analysis. One may find similar themes in all Mark Twain books very much eminent particularly in this one book. Most of Mark Twain literatures tend to be more in a form of South-Western folktales. The following essay will discuss how and in what ways does the use of vernacular language contribute to the story’s most significant themes.
Melanoma skin cancer has multiple causes. The biggest and newest cause of melanoma skin cancer is a result of tanning in salon tanning beds. As said by Zoe D. Draelos, MD, FAAD, consulting professor, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC “What they may not realize is that no matter whether you tan or burn, a tan from the sun or tanning beds damages the skin and may cause wrinkles, age spots, and skin cancer.” Now more than ever every day routines consist of going to the tanning salon. Adults are beginning to take their children to start tanning at young ages exposing them to the UV radiation that causes melanoma.
...ealthy young or old people can have skin cancer no matter if they do not have the risks factors of mutation error in cells, weak immune system, or family history of cancer, because the main reason is Ultraviolet rays which everyone is exposed to it by being outdoors. Skin cancer can be easily prevented if it is detected early by checking yourself regularly to make sure of any unusual marks or bumps and most important is to protect yourself by applying sunscreen, staying in shade if it is possible especially between 11am to 2pm, and avoiding any indoor tanning. All of us are at risk for skin cancer as The American Cancer Society estimates that 1 out of 7 people will develop some of this type of cancer in their lifetime.
Abrams, MH, et al. Eds. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York. W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1993.
Comedy differs in the mood it approaches and addresses life. It presents situations which deal with common ground of man’s social experience rather than limits of his behaviour – it is not life in the tragic mode, lived at the difficult and perilous limits of the human condition.
Ever since literature has existed, there has been some arrays of mockery. Whether it be a criticism about a person, an action, or the way people live, there has especially been satire. In the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn, encounters plenty of people and situations that are easy targets to ridicule. Throughout the text, Mark Twain satirizes religious views, hypocrisy, and romantic ideals to expose the real human flaws in southern society.
Even though the power of satire has faded over the centuries it was an essential and effective tool in making an impact on the ways of society. Through the use of humor and in-your-face realism writers, such as Swift, are able to criticize their communities, nations, and friends without the intent to offend but to educate.
Abrams, M.H., ed. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. 6th ed. Vol. 2. New York: Norton, 1993.