Synopses & Reviews
British writers of the 20th century have used humor in various ways throughout their works. Some writers, such as George Bernard Shaw and W. Somerset Maughm, were known for their comedies of manners. Others, like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, and Alfred Hitchcock, wrote mystery novels infused with humorous elements. Political humor permeated the works of Sir Winston Churchill and George Orwell, while writers such as J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis combined humor with religion and myth. Many of the trends that began in the nineteenth century were continued into the twentieth, though these trends were shaped by the social conditions of the period. This reference surveys humor in British literature of the 20th century.
Included are authors who were active during the 20th century, ranging from Sir Arthur Wing Pinero (1855-1934) through Douglas (Noel) Adams (1952-). Each of these authors is profiled individually, with entries analyzing humor in their works and providing extensive bibliographical information. The first chapter covers includes authors born between 1855 and 1869, while each of the following chapters includes authors born during a particular decade. Within each chapter, the entries are arranged chronologically, so that the reader may trace the evolution of British literary humor over time. An index additionally allows the user to locate individual authors alphabetically.
Review
The book has the usefulness, solidity and pricing of a work for institutional libraries, but individual humor scholars may be particularly grateful for its rescuing of some gems from the dust-heap of past conference papers.Humor International Journal of Humor Research
Synopsis
Analyzes humor in literary works by British authors of the 20th century and provides extensive bibliographical information.
Synopsis
British writers of the 20th century have used humor in various ways in their works. This book surveys humor in British literature from Sir Arthur Wing Pinero (1855-1934) through Douglas (Noel) Adams (1952-). The volume is divided into ten chapters, with the first chapter covering authors born between 1855 and 1869, and with later chapters each covering authors born during a particular decade. Each chapter discusses the humor, satire, parody, irony, comedy, and wit of individual authors and gives extensive bibliographical information about other critics who have done the same. The book is arranged chronologically according to the birth year of the author being discussed. Through this chronological arrangement, the reader may trace the evolution of British literary humor over time. An index allows the reader to locate individual authors alphabetically.
About the Author
DON L. F. NILSEN is Professor of English Linguistics at Arizona State University and Executive Secretary of the International Society for Humor Studies.