Die vorliegende Abschlussarbeit arbeitet mit Bergsons und Freuds Theorien über den Humor, um Mark Twains humorvolle Erzählung "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" zu analyisieren. Es wird offensichtlich, dass man Bergsons Theorie über die Komik, welche ihm zur Folge z.B. aus der Mechanisierung des Lebens resultiert, und auch Freuds Theorien unbewusste Mechanismen betreffend, in der Erzählung wieder findet.
Somit erweist sich der Humor der Erzählung als auf lustigen Stereotypisierungen, wie sie in den Figuren Smiley und Wheeler zu finden sind, basiert. Twain spielt mit Gefühlen von Überlegenheit, mit Erwartungen, Situationskomik, mit den Möglichkeiten, Lachen aufgrund von Mitleid zu erzeugen, mit Übertreibung, Wiederholung, Parallelismus, fehlender Übereinstimmung oder Satire.
Wie ebenfalls deutlich wird, bieten sich oft schon verschiedene Möglichkeiten der Interpretation dessen, was als “lustig” betrachtet wird, wenn man nur zwei Humortheoretiker zur Untersuchung heranzieht. Konsequenter Weise könnten moderne Humortheoretiker wahrscheinlich weitere Möglichkeiten der Interpretation aufzeigen. Das war nicht Ziel dieser Arbeit, würde jedoch zukünftig weiteren Analyseraum bieten.
Table of Contents
II. Introduction
III. Two Humour Theorists of the 20th Century and their Works
III.1. Henry Bergson: Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic
III.1.1. Introducing Bergson
III.2. Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic
III.1.1. How to Produce Comic
III.1.2. How to Create a Comic Character
III.2. Sigmund Freud: The Joke and his Relation to the Unconscious
III.2.1. Introducing Freud
III.2.2. "The Joke and his Relation to the Unconscious"
III.2.2.1. Introduction
III.2.2.2. Analytical Part
III.2.2.3. Synthetic Part
III.2.2.4. Theoretical Part
IV. A Study on a Jumping Frog
IV.1. Mark Twain
IV.2. The Celebrated Jumping Frog - Humour in Literature
IV.2.1. The Frame
V. Summary
Objectives and Topics
This paper explores the theoretical foundations of humour by examining the works of Henri Bergson and Sigmund Freud, specifically applying their concepts to analyze the comedic elements, narrative structure, and thematic nuances in Mark Twain's short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras Country."
- Comparative analysis of Bergson’s theory of the comic and Freud’s psychoanalytical view on jokes.
- Examination of "mechanization of the human body" and "inhibition readiness" in comedic scenarios.
- Deconstruction of frame narratives and the role of the listener/reader in joke production.
- Literary analysis of Mark Twain’s use of satire, parody, and stereotype.
- Study of the transition between situational comedy, pathos, and humour.
Excerpt from the Book
IV.2.1. The Frame
In 1864 Mark Twain worked as a San Francisco correspondent for the "Virginia City Territorial Enterprise". At that time he took a flight to the Sierras, where he heard the story told by named Ross Coon. Twain wrote it down in just the way he heard it. Therefore in the story of Jim Smiley there is still the dialect, which strengthens the authentic feeling of getting to know the plot straight from the horse mouth.
The story, however, is a frame story. In the frame there's a first person narrator, who tells us a friend asked him to find a man named Simon Wheeler to ask him about an old friend called Leonidas W. Smiley. Already in this frame story the reader is confronted with the fact that the narrator was fooled by his unknown friend, because one gets to know, that what will happen in the story, namely Wheeler telling one anecdote after the other without stopping and letting the first person narrator out, was already intended by the friend. Therefore, the frame invents a funny and unserious world, because in explaining the situation, at the same time, in a meta-dimension a signal is given, pretending the following will become funny.
Inventing Simon Wheeler, Twain is drawing a sketch of a type: a mining camp's story teller, spending his days in the tavern, seeming just to wait for somebody to whom he can tell old stories. This Wheeler as one can see, when he tells his story, appears naive and innocent. The incongruity of earnestness and sincerity in Wheeler while telling something grotesque and absurd, is mentioned by the first person narrator, and it is funny, because in that moment the listener looks through the eye of the first person narrator. So, Wheeler as the person including that incongruity based on the naive, seems comic, too. The reader feels superior.
Summary of Chapters
II. Introduction: Presents the foundational works of Freud and Bergson and defines the paper's intention to apply these theories to Mark Twain's literature.
III. Two Humour Theorists of the 20th Century and their Works: Provides a comprehensive overview of Bergson and Freud, detailing their biographical backgrounds and core contributions to humour theory.
IV. A Study on a Jumping Frog: Analyzes the specific narrative techniques, frame structure, and character archetypes in Mark Twain’s "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras Country."
V. Summary: Concludes that the theories of Bergson and Freud successfully explain the mechanisms of humour, irony, and the comedic effect in Twain's work.
Keywords
Humour Theory, Sigmund Freud, Henri Bergson, Mark Twain, The Celebrated Jumping Frog, Psychoanalysis, Comedy, Automatism, Incongruity, Situational Comic, Frame Story, Literary Analysis, Unconscious, Satire, Pathos.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper examines the mechanisms behind humour and comedy by applying the theoretical frameworks established by Henri Bergson and Sigmund Freud to a classic short story by Mark Twain.
What are the central topics discussed in the work?
Key topics include the distinction between jokes and comic, the psychological aspects of laughter, the function of frame narratives, and the use of linguistic and situational techniques to create comedic effects.
What is the primary goal of the author?
The primary goal is to determine how well Bergson’s and Freud’s humour theories can be used to interpret and analyze the narrative construction and humoristic quality of Twain’s work.
Which scientific methods are employed?
The paper utilizes a qualitative literary analysis method, applying established psychological and philosophical theories regarding laughter, jokes, and the comic to a primary source text.
What does the main body of the paper cover?
The main body is divided into theoretical sections detailing the lives and theories of Bergson and Freud, followed by a practical application section that deconstructs Twain's "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras Country."
Which keywords best characterize this study?
The study is characterized by keywords such as psychoanalysis, humour theory, automaton, situational comedy, and literary criticism of Mark Twain.
How does the author define the "mechanization of the human body" in this context?
Drawing from Bergson, the author defines this as a comedic effect occurring when a living being behaves in a mechanical, rigid, or repetitive manner, stripping away human spontaneity.
What role does the "frame story" play in Twain’s narrative according to the author?
The author argues that the frame story serves as a meta-narrative device that alerts the reader to the impending humour, establishing the unserious tone of the mining camp setting.
- Quote paper
- Corinna Hein (Author), 2000, Humour theory and practice: A study on a jumping frog, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/24620
