03 March 2011

Literary Blog Hop: Can literature be funny?

Literary Blog Hop

This week's Literary Blog Hop question, sponsored each week by The Blue Bookcase, asks whether literature can be funny.

I, for one, think the answer is a resounding yes.  I posted before that I think it's more difficult to write literary humor than literary drama and therefore it's a more precious commodity.  I think Jane Austen tempers her books very well with humor, with Pride and Prejudice and Emma being the funniest.  Dickens is frequently funny, though perhaps the funniest of the ones I've read is The Pickwick Papers.  P. G. Wodehouse's works are outrageously funny, but I'm not sure how many readers think he qualifies as literary.

Of more modern selections, I'd mention Jonathan Tropper's This Is Where I Leave You, Nicholson Baker's The Anthologist, any of Jim Harrison's Brown Dog stories, about half of Eudora Welty's short stories (with "Why I Live at the PO being the most famously funny), the forthcoming The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson, and the travel writer/memoirist Bill Bryson.
Posted by at
Labels: , ,

13 comments:

  1. AmyMarch 3, 2011 at 7:05 PM

    I totally forgot about the Tropper and Baker books. Perfect examples.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMarch 3, 2011 at 7:53 PM

    You are just so knowledgeable about classics and modern literature and everything between. I really enjoy your blogs and reviews.

    ReplyDelete
  3. As the Crowe Flies and ReadsMarch 3, 2011 at 8:32 PM

    Thanks, BookBelle. I enjoy reading yours, too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. LBCMarch 4, 2011 at 12:04 AM

    I almost chose Tropper for my post, but I ended up going with something much older.

    See my hop here: http://hawthornescarlet.blogspot.com/2011/03/literary-blog-hop-ha-ha-funny.html

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousMarch 4, 2011 at 7:09 AM

    Tropper's book was great. Of course Welty's story is a classic i love to reread...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Deb Nance at ReaderbuzzMarch 4, 2011 at 8:01 AM

    Lovely post. However, Literature is not funny. Sorry to contradict you, but I've spoken to One Who Knows.

    Here's my post for this week's Literary Blog Hop: http://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2011/03/welcome-to-literary-blog-hop-hosted-by.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. RedMarch 4, 2011 at 9:17 AM

    I like the examples you've used! Literature can absolutely be funny and you've pointed out some good choices to back that up

    ReplyDelete
  8. SayethMarch 4, 2011 at 9:23 AM

    I agree that Dickens can be funny, but some of his humor falls flat to modern ears. Dickens may have thought the gravedigger's wife abuse in A Tale of Two Cities was hilarious, but it's not funny any more. Twain likewise becomes too misanthropic sometimes to be funny.

    But I agree that literature can be funny. Welty is a good choice. Even in some of her more sinister stories, there's an element of humor. If you haven't read A Diary of A Nobody (see my blog post for a full review), I'd highly recommend it for fans of Wodehouse.

    ReplyDelete
  9. As the Crowe Flies and ReadsMarch 4, 2011 at 10:22 AM

    Listener, I've not read Tale of Two Cities, so I don't know about the gravedigger's wife. But I'm interested in reading your review of Diary of a Nobody.

    ReplyDelete
  10. SusanMarch 4, 2011 at 6:55 PM

    I just re-read P&P and can't wait to get to Emma again. I loved the cleverness of the humor. And I think Wodehouse has stood the test of time- I'll give him the nod for literary (for what that vote is worth!)

    ReplyDelete
  11. @parridhlanternMarch 5, 2011 at 10:49 AM

    Forget the Austens,ignore the Dickens(It's ok I'm English, it's part of my cultural legacy that I'm allowed to disparage these authors)But NICHOLSON BAKERS "The Anthologist" loved this book, one of my favourite books so far this last year, fantastic choice.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Darlyn (Your Move, Dickens)March 6, 2011 at 10:59 PM

    I forgot about Jonathan Tropper until I saw your post. I've only read The Book of Joe, but I have This is Where I Leave You in my TBR pile. The guy is hilarious in a totally intelligent way. :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Somerset Wedding GalDecember 4, 2013 at 6:55 AM

    Funny literature is one of my favourite sorts, My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell is a great example!

    ReplyDelete

Please, sir, may I have some more? (Comments, that is!)

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)