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Humour Now and Then: Aristophanes vs. Terry Pratchett

Yvonne Borowski M.A. University of Lodz. Humour Now and Then: Aristophanes vs. Terry Pratchett.

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Humour Now and Then: Aristophanes vs. Terry Pratchett

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  1. Yvonne Borowski M.A. University of Lodz Humour Now and Then: Aristophanes vs. Terry Pratchett

  2. „ We do not laugh now as people once laughed. Therefore, it is hardly possible to give a general philosophical definition of the comic and of laughter: such a definition can be only historical.” Vladimir Propp Theory and History of Folklore, Eng. tr. A. Y. Martin & R.P. Martin. Manchester, 1984, p. 127.

  3. MAIN POINTS • HUMOUR 2. ARISTOPHANES 3. TERRY PRATCHETT 4. CONCLUSIONS

  4. 1. HUMOUR

  5. HUMOUR „the faculty of perceiving what is ludicrous or amusing, or expressing it in speech, writing or other composition, jocose imagination or treatment of a subject.” „ the quality of action, speech or writing whichexcites amusement, oddity, jocularity, facetiousness, comicality, fun.” The Oxford English Dictionary, Simpson & Weiner, 1989, p. 486.

  6. HUMOUR „ Humor is based on a conceptual shift, a jolt to our picture of the way things are supposed to be.” John Morreall Taking Laughter Seriously, Albany, 1983, p. 60.

  7. 2. ARISTOPHANES

  8. THE EXTANT COMEDIES • The Acharnians (425 BC) • The Knights (424 BC) • The Clouds (423 BC) • The Wasps (422 BC) • Peace(421 BC) • The Birds (414 BC) • Lysistrata (411 BC) • Thesmophoriazusae (c. 411 BC) • The Frogs (405 BC) • The Assemblywomen (c. 392 BC) • Plutus or Wealth (c. 388 BC)

  9. FUNNY NAMES • Παφλαγώνπαφλάζω (Knights) • Ὑποδεδιώςὑποδείδω (Birds) • Ἐπικεχοδώςἐπιχέζω (Birds)

  10. NEOLOGISMS • Νεφελοκοκκυγία(Clouds,819) Cloud Cuckoo Land • Κρομμυοξυρεγμία(Peace, 529) Acedic belching of men living on a soldier’s diet

  11. NEOLOGISMS λοπαδοτεμαχοσελαχογαλεο- κρανιολειψανοδριμυποτριμματο- σιλφιολιπαραλομελιτοκατακεχυμενο- κιχλεπικοσσυφοφαττοπεριστερα- λεκτρυονοπτ<εγ>κεφαλιοκιχλοπε- λειλαγῳοσιραιοβαφητραγα- λοπτερυγών. (Assembly Women, 1169-1175)

  12. dishy – slicy – sharky – dogfishy – heady – left – oversee – very – strong – saucy – silphiumy – bit – salty – honey – poured – every –thrush – upon – blackbirdy – ringdovey – pigeony – chickeny – roast – cooty – wagtaily – rockdovey – haremeaty – boiled – winy – dippy – deliciously – wingedy thing! (trans. Alan Sommerstein)

  13. LITERARY PARODY Eur. Medea 1056-57 I shall not weaken my hand. Oh! Do not, my angry heart, do not do these things. Let them go, hard-hearted wretch, spare the children. (trans. David Kovacs)

  14. LITERARY PARODY My soul, sans chervil thou must venture forth. Do you know what a great struggle you will soon Be engaged in, when you’re shortly to speak In defence of men of Sparta? Forward now, my soul; (trans. Alan Sommerstein, Acharnians, 480-484)

  15. OBSCENITY DEMOS (Knights, 1388-89) Zeus Almighty! How beautiful! Heavens, tell me, is it all right for me to κατατριακοντουτίσαι them?!

  16. PARODIES OF LANGUAGES DIALECTS -Megarian (Acharnians) -Beotian (Acharnians) -Lakonian (Lysistrata) FOREIGN LANGUAGES -Persian (Acharnians) -Scythian (Thesmophoriazusae)

  17. (trans. A. Sommerstein, Thesmophoriazusae 1087-98) ARCHER: ‘Ere, you, what you dalkin’? ECHO: ‘Ere, you, what you dalkin’? ARCHER: I go gall de Brydaneis. ECHO: I go gall de Brydaneis. ARCHER: Is bad for you - ECHO: Is bad for you - ARCHER: Where dat voice from? ECHO: Where dat voice from? ARCHER: You dalkin? ECHO: You dalkin? (…) ARCHER: You still oben mout’? ECHO: You still oben mout’? ARCHER: Grab’er, de villain! ECHO: Grab’er, de villain!

  18. 3. TERRY PRATCHETT

  19. 01 The Colour of Magic (1983) 02 The Light Fantastic (1986) 03 Equal Rites (1987) 04 Mort (1987) 05 Sourcery (1989) 06 Wyrd Sisters (1989) 07 Pyramids (1989) 08 Guards! Guards! (1989) 09 Eric (1990) 10 Moving Pictures (1990) 11 Reaper Man (1991) 12 Witches Abroad (1991) 13 Small Gods (1992) 14 Lords and Ladies (1992) 15 Men at Arms (1993) 16 Soul Music (1994) 17 Interesting Times (1994) 18 Maskerade (1994) 19 Feet of Clay (1996) 20 Hogfather (1996) 21 Jingo (1997) 22 The Last Continent (1998) 23 Carpe Jugulum (1998) 24 The Fifth Elephant (1999) 25 The Truth (2000) 26 Thief of Time (2001) 27 The Last Hero (2001) 28 The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents (2001) 29 Night Watch (2002) 30 The Wee Free Men (2003) 31 Monstrous Regiment (2003) 32 A Hat Full of Sky (2004) 33 Going Postal (2004) 34 Thud! (2005) 35 Wintersmith (2006) 36 Making Money (2007) 37 Unseen Academicals (2009) 38I shall Wear Midnight (2010) 39 Snuff (2011)

  20. SPELLING "One o'clock pee em! Hello, Insert Name Here!" -- The Dis-organizer (Jingo)

  21. FUNNY NAMES • "Mightily-Praiseworthy-Are-Ye-Who-Exalteth-Om„ • "Visit-The-Infidel-With-Explanatory-Pamphlets„ • "Smite-The-Unbeliever-With-Cunning-Arguments„ (Small Gods)

  22. LITERARY PARODY „It was the night before Hogwatch. All through the house... ...one creature stirred. It was a mouse.” (Hogfather) Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the houseNot a creature was stirring, not even a mouse. Clement Clark Moore

  23. PUNS Rincewind had always been happy to think of himself as a racist. The One Hundred Meters, the Mile, the Marathon -- he'd run them all. (The Last Continent)

  24. DOUBLE ENTENDRE • „I thought swords had to be straight?” • „Perhaps they start out straight and go bendy with use. A lot of thingsdo.” (Moving Pictures)

  25. PLAY ON LANGUAGES • „Imp y Celyn,' said Imp.” Welsh: „Bud of the Holly” =Buddy Holly (Soul Music) • „? Tyø yur åtl hø sooten gåtrunen?” (Colour of Magic)

  26. DOG LATINIMITATION • „Veni, verdi, vomui” I came, I turned green, I vomited. • „Visi, veneri, vamoosi” I visited, I caught an embarrassing disease, I ran away. (Jingo)

  27. DOG LATINDIRECT TRANSLATION „Stercus, stercus, stercus, Moriturus Sum!” „Oh shit, shit, shit, I am going to die.” (Interesting Times)

  28. DOG LATIN Cuius testiculos habes, cardia et cerebellum habeas. „When you have their full attention in your grasp, you will have their hearts and minds also.” (Small Gods)

  29. 4. CONCLUSION

  30. DIFFERENCES

  31. INGREDIENTS FOR HUMOUR

  32. COMMON FEATURES COMIC TECHNIQUES • Neologisms • Funny names • Literary parody • Obscenity • Play on languages

  33. RIDERE HUMANUM EST „ Men have been wise in many different modes, but they have always laughed the same way.” Samuel Johnson Life of Cowley [in:] F. Brady & W.K. Wimsatt, Samuel Johnson: Selected Poems and Prose, Berkeley, 1977, p. 365.

  34. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION  Contact: yvonne.borowski@gmail.com

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