Belly Laughs: Body Humor in Contemporary American Literature and Film

by Gillota, David

Belly Laughs: Body Humor in Contemporary American Literature and Film Scholars are more than happy to laugh at but seem somewhat reluctant to discuss body humor, which is perhaps the most neglected form of comedy in recent criticism. In this dissertation, I examine the ways in which contemporary American writers and filmmakers use body humor in their works, not only in moments of so-called comic relief but also as a valid way of exploring many of the same issues that postmodern artists typically interrogate in their more somber moments. The writers discussed in this projectPhilip Roth, Thomas Pynchon, Charles Johnson, and Woody Allenwere chosen for the divergent ways in which they present the bodys comic predicament in psychological, metaphysical, and historical situations. The introduction explains the diverse traditions that these artists draw upon and considers how various theoretical approaches can affect our understanding of body humor. The first chapter examines Jewish-American novelist Philip Roths use of absurd and grotesque body imagery as manifestations of his characters moral dilemmas. The second chapter looks at how slapstick comedy informs a worldview dominated by paranioa and chaos in Thomas Pynchons novels. Chapter Three looks at Woody Allens early films, in which he parodies and revises the slapstick cinematic tradition of artists like Charlie Chaplin and The Marx Brothers. Chapter Four considers African-American writer and cartoonist Charles Johnsons depiction of the ways in which the bodys desires and pitfalls complicate the quest for spiritual enlightenment.