Ryan
Clough
English
112B
Professor
Warner
11/27/2012
Annotated Bibliography: Humor in
Literature
Humor
is a critical component of humanity.
From our years as a baby to later stages in life, laughter will always
be a primary emotional response to a wide range of experiences. Humor tends to relate to all types of people
because of its therapeutic tendencies. Humor appears to help an individual�s
psychological and physical well-being- for example, helping someone cope with stress and adversity. Young adults experience
a different type of hardship during development, and humor may be one of few
outlets utilized. Making light of
an unwanted situation does not only heal, but can also help young adults learn
more about themselves. Taking things too seriously may counteract against
humor, but there is a middle ground with when to be serious and when to joke.
Teaching young adults this discrepancy is crucial to their ability to
understand circumstances and learn about helping others in times of need.
Helping young adults grasp a larger understanding of the depths of humor can be
extremely useful at all times in their lives.
Most humorous novels are primarily seen
as didactic pieces of literature that do not challenge readers in a complex
manner. Young adults would likely find these novels to be more beneficial
because of their ability to make light of common teenage struggles. Heartaches
in school and with friends are a common theme in young adult humorous novels. It
can be argued that authors in most genres use humor to help fluctuate moods of
characters and to make their novel memorable. For a less motivated reader,
finding humor within a text could serve as a useful tool to promote
participation in reading a novel. This exercise can also instigate active reading-
critical for more complex novels. In my centerpiece novel, Holes, there are many features of humor intermingled within the
story. There are examples that deal with irony, exaggeration, ambiguity, word
play and incongruity. These are common features that humorous novels possess
due to their nature of being more obvious than subtle humor such as sarcasm. The use of humor in adult literature is a
great way to relate to teens and to give them a chance to look at the bright
side of a difficult circumstance.
Annotated Bibliography
Bray,
Libba. Going
Bovine. New York: Delacorte Books, 2009. Print
All
16-year-old Cameron wants is to get through high school—and life in
general—with a minimum of effort. It�s not a lot to ask. But that�s
before he�s given some bad news: he�s sick and he�s going to die. Which totally
sucks. Hope arrives in the winged form of Dulcie, a
loopy punk angel/possible hallucination with a bad sugar habit. She tells Cam
there is a cure—if he�s willing to go in search of it. With the help of a
death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother
of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters
most. (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6512140-going-bovine)
Libba Bray really stretches the realistic life of a teen to
throw a different feeling on the novel. She exposes a serious threat felt by
Cameron and how he deals with it during the story. It can put things into
perspective for teens with lives that are not similar to Cameron�s.
Appreciating life is crucial for teens and this book introduces new ways of
doing so.
Ferris,
Jean. Love Among the Walnuts. New
York: Harcourt Children�s Books, 1998. Print.
Sandy Huntington-Ackerman's life
becomes increasingly complicated when his bungling, moneygrubbing uncles try to
shanghai the family fortune by poisoning a birthday cake. Luckily, those
conniving uncles prove yet again that they can't do anything right. Instead of
bumping off the whole family, they put Sandy's mom and dad and their pet
chicken into mysterious comas. Sandy joins forces with his loyal butler and a
wise and wacky nurse to save his parents and squelch his uncles' felonious high
jinx. (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/440419.Love_Among_the_Walnuts)
Jean Ferris is able to produce wacky
family members that Sandy Huntington-Ackerman must deal with throughout the
story. The stereotypical �crazy uncle� throws Sandy a major curveball in life.
A very unusual plot can give a young adult a chance to expand their mind and
enjoy the ride that Ferris takes the reader on. Humor is an obvious intention
of Ferris which allows this novel to be considered a humor novel for young
adults.
Korman, Gordon. Schooled. New York: Hyperion Paperback, 2007. Print
Capricorn (Cap) Anderson has never
watched television. He's never tasted a pizza. Never heard of a wedgie. Since he was little, his only experience has been
living on a farm commune and being home-schooled by his hippie grandmother,
Rain. But when Rain falls out of a tree while picking plums and has to stay in
the hospital, Cap is forced to move in with a guidance counselor and her cranky
teen daughter and attend the local middle school. While Cap knows a lot about
tie-dying and Zen Buddhism, no education could prepare him for the politics of
public school. (http://www.amazon.com/Schooled-Gordon-Korman/dp/1423105168)
The degree of exposure that Capricorn
Anderson has not faced creates a very fascinating look into a large transition
he undergoes. Cap is a very humorous character (sometimes on accident) because
of how little he has experienced as a teen. His changing circumstances can be
beneficial for any teen going through a large transitional move.
Korman, Gordon. No More Dead Dogs. New York: Hyperion Paperback, 2002. Print.
Nobody understands Wallace Wallace. This reluctant school football hero has been
suspended from the team for writing an unfavorable book report of Old Shep, My Pal. But Wallace won't tell a lie -- he hated
every minute of the book! Why does the dog in every classic novel have to croak
at the end? After refusing to do a rewrite, his English teacher, who happens to
be directing the school play Old Shep, My Pal, forces
him go to the rehearsals as punishment. Although Wallace doesn't change his
mind, he does end up changing the play into a rock-and-roll rendition, complete
with Rollerblades and a moped!
(http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/160698.No_More_Dead_Dogs)
Young
adults may find this particular novel to be easy to relate to because of its
main premise. The story is an example of the consequences of high school and
that dealing with them is the only way. Wallace is able to create a situation
for himself that he finds to be enjoyable. Gordon Korman
is always able to incorporate humor into his novels, especially for young
adults. Not only are his characters amusing, but the plot twists are humorous
by themselves.
Green,
John. An Abundance of Katherines. New York: Dutton Books, 2006. Print.
When it comes to relationships,
everyone has a type. Colin Singleton�s type is girls named Katherine. He has
dated–and been dumped by–19 Katherines.
In the wake of The K-19 Debacle, Colin–an anagram-obsessed washed-up
child prodigy–heads out on a road trip with his overweight, Judge Judy-
loving friend Hassan. With 10,000 dollars in his pocket and a feral hog on his
trail, Colin is on a mission to prove a mathematical theorem he hopes will
predict the future of any relationship (and conceivably win the girl). (http://johngreenbooks.com/abundance-of-katherines)
John Green has a knack for inputting
humor into his novels. His characters were quite funny in Looking for Alaska, and he was able to do the same with Colin
Singleton. The plot takes twists
with humorous undertones, including his history of dating 19 girls with the
name Katherine. The novel takes a good look into the struggle of a teenage male
attempting to find a comfort zone with women.
Heller,
Joseph. Catch 22. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1996. Print.
Set in Italy during World War II, this
is the story of the incomparable, malingering bombardier, Yossarian,
a hero who is furious because thousands of people he has never met are trying
to kill him. But his real problem is not the enemy—it is his own army,
which keeps increasing the number of missions the men must fly to complete
their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempt to
excuse himself from the perilous missions he�s assigned, he�ll be in violation
of Catch-22, a hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule: a man is considered
insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he
makes a formal request to be removed from duty, he is proven sane and therefore
ineligible to be relieved. (http://www.amazon.com/Catch-22-50th-Anniversary-Joseph-Heller/dp/1451626657)
I was pleased to be able to find a
canonical novel that would fall into the category of having humorous elements.
Heller maintains a sarcastic and satirical vibe throughout the novel and uses
this to play with more serious circumstances. Satire is used to lighten the
mood because the story does deal with war-like situations. This novel would be
an excellent choice for the classroom because of its use of satire among
perilous moments in Yossarian�s life. Young adults
would not only benefit from the exposure to satire, but also to view Heller�s
interpretation of WWII.
Lubar, David. Sleeping Freshman Never Lie. New
York: Penguin Group, 2007. Print
Starting high school is never easy.
Seniors take your lunch money. Girls you've known forever are suddenly
beautiful and unattainable. And you can never get enough sleep. Could there be
a worse time for Scott Hudson�s mother to announce she's pregnant? Scott
decides high school would be a lot less overwhelming if it came with a survival
manual, so he begins to write down tips for his new sibling. Meanwhile, he's
trying his best to capture the attention of Julia, the freshman goddess. In the
process, Scott manages to become involved in nearly everything the school has
to offer. So while he tries to find his place in the confusing world of high
school, win Julia's heart, and keep his sanity, Scott will be recording all the
details for his sibling's- and your- enjoyment. (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204297.Sleeping_Freshmen_Never_Lie)
David Lubar,
a large proprietor of humorous novels, is able to produce a story that is not
only hilarious, but informational for teens embarking on their first year in
high school. It contains a unique edge because of Scott Hudson�s recordings
that give realistic commentary on his perceptions. Young adults should be aware
of the tough nature that high school occasionally offers.
Paulsen,
Gary. The Schernoff Discoveries.
New York: Delacorte Press, 1997. Print.
Harold Schernoff,
14-year-old science whiz and social nerd, has a theory for every problem, from
dating, to bullies, to making money, to sports, to how to buy a car when you're
underage. When he and his buddy team up to put his theories to the test,
nothing goes according to plan. A ski lesson becomes: Mass x Acceleration x
Slope of hill = eeeAAGGHHH. As for first dates, only
Harold could mastermind such disaster. Only Harold could go fishing and get
caught by the fish. (http://www.amazon.com/Schernoff-Discoveries-Gary-Paulsen/dp/0440414636)
Gary Paulsen is an author known for
putting a taste of humor in many novels. Using a protagonist that overthinks is
a humorous look into the mind of a newer teen. A common tendency of young
adults is to overanalyze situations in order to make the right decision.
Paulsen�s realistic teenage perception is useful for any young adults
interested in a story that can relate to their own lives
Sachar, Louis. Holes. New York: Scholastic, 1998. Print.
Stanley Yelnats
is under a curse. A curse that began with his
no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather and has since
followed generations of Yelnats. Now Stanley has been
unjustly sent to a boys' detention center, Camp Green Lake, where the warden
makes the boys "build character" by spending all day, every day,
digging holes: five feet wide and five feet deep. It doesn't take long for
Stanley to realize there's more than character improvement going on at Camp
Green Lake. The boys are digging holes because the warden is looking for
something. Stanley tries to dig up the truth in this inventive and darkly
humorous tale of crime and punishment—and redemption. (http://www.amazon.com/Holes-Louis-Sachar/dp/044022859X)
As my centerpiece novel, Holes contains multiple instances and
features that best exemplify humor in literature. It may not be classified as a
humorous novel, but the content contains aspects that would be helpful for a
reader attempting to identify humor in a story. Young adults would not be able
to help but find instances of irony, ambiguity and exaggeration.
Silverstein,
Shel. �A Boy Named Sue�. 1969
Shel Silverstein is able to produce a funny poem that was later turned into a hit by Johnny Cash. The song tells the tale of a young man's quest for revenge on a father who abandoned him at 3 years of age and whose only contribution to his entire life was naming him Sue, commonly a feminine name, which results in the young man suffering from ridicule and harassment by everyone he meets in his travels. Because of this, Sue grows up tough, mean and smartens up very quickly, though he frequently relocates due to the shame his name gives him. Angered by the embarrassment and abuse that he endures in his life, he swears that he will find and kill his father for giving him "that awful name."
I found that the poem was quite funny, but at the same time, powerful in its message. The only reason his father named him that was in order to ensure that his son would grow up tough. The message may not be overly humorous, but the story in the poem is quite funny. The lesson that it teaches is similar to Jake Wizner�s story, Spanking Shakespeare. A person cannot change the name they have grown up with, allowing for mental growth and the ability to stand up against people willing to bother you about your name.
Works Cited List
Nilsen, Allen Pace + Kenneth L. Donelson, eds. Literature for Today�s Young Adults, 8th ed.,
New York: Pearson Custom Edition, 2008.