ENGL 4/5385

Modern Humor

Dr. Alison Umminger

Office Hours:  TLC  3:15-5:15 T/Th and by appointment.

Course Description:  This course will look at humor writing of the past century or so, beginning with Oscar Wilde’s Portrait of Dorian Gray and moving all the way to more recent humorists, such as David Sedaris, Jonathan Ames, and Helen Fielding.  The emphasis will be on “literary” humor, as well as on essays.  Questions that will arise include:  What is the role of various subsets of the genre – satire, irony, parody?  How does humor lend itself towards cultural criticism?  What are the benefits of writing comedy as opposed to straight drama or tragedy?  Are there places where humor is inappropriate (and I’d like, here, to depart for a moment and look at Lena Wertmuller’s film Seven Beauties as well as Bettleheim’s excellent critique of the film’s “satire”).  What is the relationship of parody and satire to postmodernism and the divided subject?  Who are generally privileged/undermined in humorous texts, and how do they subvert conventional behavior paradigms?

The purpose of this course is to illuminate the various ways the humor writing provides lucid and insightful cultural criticism.  Students will think not only about what’s “Funny” but about why writers might use humor as opposed to other modes to convey their ideas, as well as discussing the limitations of the genre.

Texts:  The Portrait of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde.  Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris.  What’s not to Love, Jonathan Ames.  A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole.  Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding.  Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger.  The Portable Dorothy Parker, Dorothy Parker.  Lorrie Moore, Self Help. Films:  “Seven Beauties,” “Comedian” (Seinfeld), Excerpts from “Original Kings of Comedy” and “I’m the One I’m Looking For.”

Requirements (4385)                                                    Requirements (5385)

2 short response papers                                                2 short response papers

Oral presentation – Stand UP!                          Oral Presentation – STAND UP!

8-10 page research paper (with proposal)                     12-15 page research paper (with proposal)

Midterm and final exams                                               Midterm and final exams

Active participation in discussions                                  Active participation in discussions

Short Humorous Piece (2-3 pages)                               Short Humorous Piece (2-3 pages)

POINT BREAKDOWN:

2 short responses – 50 points each, 100 points total

Stand Up Presentation – 50 points

Short Humorous Piece – 50 points

Midterm Exam – 200 points

Final Exam – 200 points

Final Research Paper – 400 points                                TOTAL OF 1000 points

SCHEDULE:

January 10th  --      Intro to Class 

January 12th--       Aristotle – “Poetics” (first half of book)

January 17th--       Aristotle – “Poetics” (second half of book)

                                First Short Response Paper Due – Write 2-3 page rebuttal to Aristotle’s “Poetics”

                                arguing for the primacy of comedy over tragedy.  

January 19th-       Freud essay

January 24th --     Wilde – Dorian Gray

January 26^th --       Wilde – Dorian Gray

January 31st  --     Parker -- Portable Dorothy Parker

February 2nd --    Parker -- Portable Dorothy Parker

February 7th--        Salinger – Catcher in the Rye

February 9^th --        Salinger – Catcher in the Rye

February 14th--      Vonnegut – Slaugherhouse Five

February 16th--      Vonnegut – Slaughterhouse Five

February 21st         “Seven Beauties” and Bettleheim Essay

Second Short Response Paper Due – 2-3 page response on “appropriateness” and comedy

February 23rd         “Seven Beauties” – Review for Mid-Term

  
February 28th --     MID TERM EXAMINATION

March 2^nd   --          Toole – Confederacy of Dunces

 

March 7th--              Toole – Confederacy of Dunces

March 9th--               Toole – Confederacy of Dunces        

                                                DISCUSSION OF FINAL PAPERS

March 14th --      Moore – Self Help (selections)

March 16^th ---      Fielding – Bridget Jones’ Diary

March 21^st –          SPRING BREAK NO CLASS

March 23^rd --         SPRING BREAK NO CLASS 

March 28th--        Fielding – Bridget Jones’ Diary

                                                FINAL PAPER TOPICS DUE

March 30^th --          Ames – What’s Not to Love?  (selections)

April 4th --           Sedaris – Me Talk Pretty One Day

                                                SHORT HUMOROUS PIECE DUE (2-3 pages)

April 6^th--               Sedaris – Me Talk Pretty One Day

April 11th --         In-Class viewing of “Comedian”

April 13th --         Discussion of Stand-up – In class excerpts from “Kings” and “I’m The One”

                                FINAL PAPERS DUE

April 18^th--          Small group “Draft” of stand-up --

April 20th --        PERFORMANCES!

April 25^th --            FINAL EXAM

April 27^th --            Evaluations/ Last Day of Class

(Please note that all activities are tentative, and subject to revision)