Thesis (MA) - Cyprus International University. Institute of Graduate Studies and Research English Language and Literature Department

Includes bibliography (sheets 66-71)

ABSTRACT
This study attempts to provide an analysis of humour in Roald Dahl’s selected short
stories and also presents a critical contribution to the negative attitudes towards
humour particularly black humour which has been constantly criticized by many
critics. Laughter and happiness play an important role in everyone's life. Happiness
and humour are closely related to human nature, so this led to the writing humourous
pieces, conveying different messages to the audience in various ways and adding
humour by authors. Humour is generally an art form that reaches out to the public
through the use of humour and the creation of laughter. In dramatic writings, this
format and these art tools portraits comedy.
Black humour is one of the subcategories of humour and comedy, which ridicules
morbid and gruesome situations, often associated with death, fear, suffering, and
emptiness. Disparate political and social situations and black fiction led to the rise of
this type of humour in Western literature. In this type of humour, the writer tries to
induce two incompatible feelings of laughter and fear to his/her audiences at once.
This concept also describes a troubled and unknown world and effectively has a
mocking view on the terrible situation and is often associated with absurdity. The
presence of such anomalies serves a similar function as humour, but the difference is
that instead of a positive attitude it pays attention to the world and surrounding
phenomena with a different attitude.
In fact, in this category of literary works, humour does not have its traditional meaning,
which contains a calm and happy mood, and the authors tend to depict unusual
behaviors and reflect social realities through strange behaviors in the story, therefore
the funny side of black humour is less, and crying is preferred to laughter. All these
processes let the audiences to examine the issues around them much more deeply and
realistically because it makes them get closer to these issues without having a distorted
view and pass through them without being harmed.
This thesis examines humour in two short stories by Roald Dahl and also this issue can
be investigated how this author can present a different perspective on humour and at
the same time be one of the most successful authors in the field of children’s literature.
These short stories have been selected because they are the best samples of humour in
different way and they are not following the predictable humour; therefore, the reader
can't guess what the story is about. Through analyzing these short stories, we reach
remarkable ideas which are not noticeable at first but step by step the reader finds it
interesting.
Keywords: Analysis of Humour, Humour in Literature, Roald Dahl, Types of
Humour,