Thursday, 3 March 2011

Literary Blog Hop March 3-6

I'm in the throes of reading Anna Karenina (One and a half parts done, woo!) so I may not post again for quite a while! Hence, a lovely blog hop to keep you going. Hosted by The Blue Bookcase, this week they ask:

Can literature be funny? What is your favourite humorous literary book?


I think that literature can absolutely be funny. It might be a bit harder to get to the humour in a book that is 'literary' because the language can be a lot to take in at first, but once you get past that, some works of literature can be utterly hilarious (Jane Austen is a great example of this, as is Shakespeare- I love reading the footnotes of all the dirty jokes Shakespeare makes in Hamlet, and basically every other play!)   In fact, I personally think that all works of literature can benefit from having a little comic relief, even if their main purpose is tragedy- just so long as it is extremely well written humour!

My favourite humorous literary book is probably The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. It is disturbing and a bit upsetting too, but there were parts of it that made me actually laugh out loud, because they struck me as being so true as a portrait of humanity. It's a good example of how something doesn't have to be wholly miserable, or wholly hilarious, to be a good work of literature. Pride and Prejudice does come a close second, however, and I think there are still hilarities of Jane Austen that I am yet to discover and unravel- she is completely amazing!

So, of course literature can be funny! It may not be the most important role that it takes on, but it is one that stops readers blowing their brains out at the end of books. Humour can be a very good thing! How about you? Do you have any favourite funny works of literature?
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16 comments:

  1. gautami tripathy3 March 2011 at 15:47

    The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde is a real portrait of society. That hits hard. The subtle humour is its redeeming feature.

    Here is my Literary Blog Hop post!

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  2. Red3 March 2011 at 16:17

    You should check out Filthy Shakespeare by Pauline Kiernan if you appreciate the dirtier (and funny!) side of Shakespeare. It can be a bit of an awk book to read in public but it's a lot of fun.

    Dorian Gray is a great example of funny literature. It had dark undertones but Lord Henry was hilarious anytime he opened his mouth.

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  3. Loni3 March 2011 at 16:32

    I've been wanting to read Dorian Gray, it just hasn't happened yet. I look forward to the laughter. Pride and Prejudice is one of my faves too.

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  4. Deborah Lawrenson3 March 2011 at 19:49

    Wilde - genius! More modern serious writers who can be humourous: Martin Amis, Julian Barnes, and William Boyd.

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  5. Anonymous3 March 2011 at 23:00

    Oscar Wilde is a genius considering the tragic life he lead. I'll have to read more of him. So far, I've only enjoyed The Importance of Being Earnest.

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  6. Sharon3 March 2011 at 23:04

    Pride and Prejudice is the only one I can think of right now, I loved it!

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  7. Darlyn (Your Move, Dickens)4 March 2011 at 02:16

    I thought Shakespeare was boring, but I realized I was wrong when I read Hamlet. It's a tragedy but there are a ton of jokes sprinkled all over the play. I can't wait to read one of his comedies. :)

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  8. LBC4 March 2011 at 04:45

    It is always a lot of fun to reveal the fact that Shakespeare is making dirty jokes to students. It opens up the text in whole new ways when they learn that it isn't all stodgy and old:)

    See my hop here: http://hawthornescarlet.blogspot.com/2011/03/literary-blog-hop-ha-ha-funny.html

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  9. Anonymous4 March 2011 at 20:05

    Great post. I loved Portrait of Dorian Grey...and there were a lot of funny parts..

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  10. @parridhlantern4 March 2011 at 22:30

    oscar wilde a fantastic comic writer, & wit.

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  11. Laura4 March 2011 at 22:36

    Whenever I find a quotation that I think is amazing and hilarious, it's always always by Oscar Wilde! He's seriously amazing, I'm so glad everyone has realised this! :)

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  12. Alison Can Read5 March 2011 at 01:31

    Hopping through. A lot of "funny" literary novels are funny because they're satires rather than pure comedies. But I think you could have straight humor and literary novels too.
    New follower.
    My Hop

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  13. Sakura Sandra5 March 2011 at 02:30

    The most hilarious thing I've ever read was The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

    Also, I just followed you for FF/Blog Hop and I'd really appreciate it if you stopped by my blog to follow me as well!

    http://sandrathenookworm.blogspot.com/

    I'm a new blogger (less than two weeks) so I'd really appreciate any other new followers as well! Thanks. (^_^)

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  14. Deb Nance at Readerbuzz5 March 2011 at 03:31

    Not sure why so many people think literature can be funny....Perhaps they are thinking of literature and not Literature. Literature is quite serious...that is, Serious.

    Here is my post:
    http://readerbuzz.blogspot.com/2011/03/welcome-to-literary-blog-hop-hosted-by.html

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  15. Laura Everyday Edits5 March 2011 at 14:37

    Stephen King.. scares me! Love your Carrie review! New follower from weekend blog hop. Would love a visit and follow back.. trying to meet new bloggers who aren't all about home and crafts! laura@imnotatrophywife.com
    http://imnotatrophywife.com

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  16. MANDY5 March 2011 at 16:21

    Hi there. I love to hate the villain "Black Jack" from the Outlander series. You have to read this book if you haven't already. I am having a giveaway right now for this great historical tale. I am now your newest follower. Come and visit me at www.mandysescape.blogspot.com

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