Saturday, March 5, 2011

Can Literature be Funny?

The Blue Bookcase presents a weekly question related to literature and this week's entry is: Can literature be funny? What is your favorite humorous literary book?

My answer would have to be resounding "Yes!" Apart from the books that are commonly seen as hilarious (like those by P.G. Wodehouse), there are others that are surprisingly funny. As I posted earlier, Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey was laugh-out-loud funny when I listened to the audio version. My favorite, Anthony Trollope, is probably not considered Britain's greatest comedian, but there is a humorous undercurrent to many of his books that keeps me chuckling all the way through. Heavens, I don't force myself to read good books because "they are good for me." I read them because I ENJOY them!




5 comments:

@parridhlantern said...

love your reasoning, if not your choice (Austen, i've tried but, sorry, don't get). love your admittance of a being a book snob, although not sure about there being no decent literature in the last 50 years.

Sharon Wilfong said...

Are you a Wodhouse fan? I have his Omnibus and am currently watching the tv series with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie. I had forgotten about him. Thanks for the reminder.

Bethany Ury said...

YES, literature often can be very funny. It's hard to recall which books have made me laugh out loud, but I do remember being very amused by the Canterbury Tales. The way that Chaucer words his sentences, as well as his portrayal of main characters, is often hilarious!

the Ink Slinger said...

Literature can be VERY funny! Wodehouse is fabulous, and Three Men In A Boat by Jerome K. Jerome is a hoot. Another great one is Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth - it's witty, imaginative, and both children and adults will get a kick out of it!

sonskyn said...

i have to agree with Three Men In A Boat ... (been reading your comments on MagistraMater and thought I'll chirp in (and learn some things)