The paradox structure in humorous narrative: an analysis of intellectuals as comic heroes

This thesis is to study certain humorous phenomena in several literary works written in different languages. The humorous texts chosen for analysis in this thesis are: 1) Candide written by the French writer Voltaire, published for the first time in French in 1759; 2) The British Museum is Falling D...

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Main Author: Li, Jun
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: 2004
Subjects:
Online Access:https://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/7654/1/426497.pdf
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author Li, Jun
author_facet Li, Jun
author_sort Li, Jun
collection LMU
description This thesis is to study certain humorous phenomena in several literary works written in different languages. The humorous texts chosen for analysis in this thesis are: 1) Candide written by the French writer Voltaire, published for the first time in French in 1759; 2) The British Museum is Falling Down written by the English writer David Lodge, published for the first time in English in 1965; and 3) Fortress Besieged written by the Chinese writer Qian Zhongshu, published for the first time in Chinese in 1947. In these humorous texts, the comic heroes are all 'intellectual characters' sharing some common features. These characters are portrayed with an acute sense of humour and even bold self-mockery. Whether through the effect of joyful laughter or tearful laughter, these humorous texts tell the awkward but fascinating experiences of their heroes: their pursuit of higher-standard values and their final disappointment; their efforts and their failure; their disparagement as well as the beliefs they grudgingly hold in spite of their frustration. In each case, their intellectual adventures have influenced and indeed formed the contradictory personalities of these characters as presented in these humorous narratives.
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spelling oai:repository.londonmet.ac.uk:76542022-05-17T11:22:21Z http://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/7654/ The paradox structure in humorous narrative: an analysis of intellectuals as comic heroes Li, Jun 800 Literature & rhetoric This thesis is to study certain humorous phenomena in several literary works written in different languages. The humorous texts chosen for analysis in this thesis are: 1) Candide written by the French writer Voltaire, published for the first time in French in 1759; 2) The British Museum is Falling Down written by the English writer David Lodge, published for the first time in English in 1965; and 3) Fortress Besieged written by the Chinese writer Qian Zhongshu, published for the first time in Chinese in 1947. In these humorous texts, the comic heroes are all 'intellectual characters' sharing some common features. These characters are portrayed with an acute sense of humour and even bold self-mockery. Whether through the effect of joyful laughter or tearful laughter, these humorous texts tell the awkward but fascinating experiences of their heroes: their pursuit of higher-standard values and their final disappointment; their efforts and their failure; their disparagement as well as the beliefs they grudgingly hold in spite of their frustration. In each case, their intellectual adventures have influenced and indeed formed the contradictory personalities of these characters as presented in these humorous narratives. 2004 Thesis NonPeerReviewed text en https://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/7654/1/426497.pdf Li, Jun (2004) The paradox structure in humorous narrative: an analysis of intellectuals as comic heroes. Doctoral thesis, London Metropolitan University.
spellingShingle 800 Literature & rhetoric
Li, Jun
The paradox structure in humorous narrative: an analysis of intellectuals as comic heroes
title The paradox structure in humorous narrative: an analysis of intellectuals as comic heroes
title_full The paradox structure in humorous narrative: an analysis of intellectuals as comic heroes
title_fullStr The paradox structure in humorous narrative: an analysis of intellectuals as comic heroes
title_full_unstemmed The paradox structure in humorous narrative: an analysis of intellectuals as comic heroes
title_short The paradox structure in humorous narrative: an analysis of intellectuals as comic heroes
title_sort paradox structure in humorous narrative an analysis of intellectuals as comic heroes
topic 800 Literature & rhetoric
url https://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/7654/1/426497.pdf
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