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Order Number 9112972 Woody Allen: The philosophical clown Speck, Bobbie J., D.A. Middle Tennessee State University, 1990 Copyright ©1991 by Speck, Bobbie J. All rights reserved. UMI 300 N. Zeeb Rd. Ann Arbor, Ml 48106 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Woody Allen: The Philosophical Clown Bobbie J . Speck A dissertation presented to the Graduate Faculty of Middle Tennessee State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor or Arts December 1990 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Woody Allant The Philosophical Clown APPROVEDt Graduate Committee: Ia /. Major Professor Reader Head of the English Department — <_ ^ — J Dean of the Graduate School Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Woody Allen: The Philosophical Clown by Bobbie J. Speck Woody Allen, one of the comic geniuses of the twentieth century, has stated that the primary purpose of his films and prose is to entertain his audience, and entertain them he does. However, comedy is a serious business. Scholars have pointed out the fine line between comedy and tragedy. Comedy helps man cope with the complexities of life; it is "the groan made gay." Allen's use of comedy serves a serious purpose. His satires make telling observations about contemporary men and women and issues which concern them. Many of his works express the existential sense of alienation of our times. Much has been written about Allen's films and his role as filmmaker. Less attention has been paid to Allen's prose. This dissertation focuses on Allen's three collections of short stories, essays, and one-act plays: Getting Even (1971), Without Feathers (1975), and Side Effects (1980). Allen's development as a comedian is explored, as well as the major themes he deals with in his prose. Specific selections from each collection which illustrate Allen's use of comedy for a serious purpose are then explored. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Bobbie J . Speck Allen's prose works, though humorous, deal with serious philosophical and sociological issues, such as the meaning of life, the existence or non-existence of God, and the possibility of an afterlife. He also deals with more mundane topics, such as man's search for happiness in his everyday life, the dehumanizing effects of technology, the pomposity of pseudo-intellectuals, and, in his later works, problems associated with a dysfunctional society. Allen explores these topics through the vehicle of satire. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Table of Contents Page Introduction .................................... 1 Chapter I. A Visit from the Bluebird of Anxiety: Woody Allen's Development as a Comedian .... 10 II. "Sitting at the Children's Table": Woody Allen's Brand of Co m e d y ................. 42 III. Selections from Getting E v e n ............... 67 IV. Selections from Without Feathers ........... 90 V. Selections from Side Effect ................. 120 C o n c l u s i o n ...................................... 140 Works Cited ...................................... 145 ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Introduction In his book Anatomy of Satire. Gilbert Highet describes the cynic Menippus (c.340— 270 B.C.) as "the man who jokes about serious things" (233). This description aptly describes Woody Allen, the twentieth century comedian, writer, and filmmaker. Allen, a popular entertainer, is also a serious artist. Many academicians believe the appellations "popular” and "serious" are mutually exclusive, and indeed Allen is not a serious artist in the tradition of a Henry James or an Ernest Hemingway. However, his satires of contemporary man and contemporary issues are full of wit and insight. Allen's works, though humorous, deal with serious philosophical and sociological issues. Allen explores such weighty themes as the meaning of life, the existence or non­ existence of God, and the possibility of an afterlife. One might be tempted to classify Allen as an existentialist since many of his works indicate God is dead and life is meaningless. However, Allen never puts these questions to rest. His latest film. Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), continues to deal with man's questions about whether or not God exists. The film's strongest point is that even if God does not exist, man is still morally responsible for his actions. Allen definitely has an existential bent, but he lacks the certainty a true existentialist exhibits. 1 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 2 Otherwise, he would not return to his obsessions about God so often. Allen also explores more mundane topics such as man's search for happiness in his everyday life, the dehumanizing effects of technology, the pomposity of pseudo-intellectual inquiry, and, in his later works, the problems our society faces due to substance abuse and cult religions. Allen explores these topics through the vehicle of satire, a well- respected literary genre. Humor and satire go hand in hand. The term "satire" is derived from the Latin word satura which means "full." The gods were presented with an offering of the first-fruits of the harvest in a salad called lanx satura. Thus, the term satire has come to mean "a mixture full of different things" (Highet 231). Northrup Frye in Anatomv of Criticism points out that humor is one of the key components of satire; "Two things . are essential to satire; one is wit or humor founded on fantasy or a sense of the grotesque or the absurd, the other is an object of attack" (224). Allen's works certainly exhibit these criteria. His works, occasionally fantastic, are full of absurd characters and situations; and his treatment, with the exception of a few attempts at serious film, is always humorous and witty. Allen has expressed concern that his works are not as respected as they might be because he uses comedy instead of tragedy. Comedy, he says, just does not command the respect Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. 3 awarded to more serious works (Cooper 8). However, humor is an important aspect of our existence, and humor can be used for a serious purpose. In The Language of Humor. Walter Nash points out that "humor is a serious business" (1). He describes the importance of humor and its very serious role in our culture: Together with the power of speech, the mathematical gift, the gripping thumb, the ability to make tools, humor is a specifying characteristic of humanity. For many of us, it is more than an amiable decoration of life; it is a complex piece of equipment for living, a mode of attack and a line of defence [sic], a method of raising questions and criticizing arguments, a protest about the inequality of the struggle to live, a way of atonement and reconciliation, a treaty with all that is willful, impaired, beyond our power to control. (1) Allen's prose works exemplify Nash's definition. Among other things, Allen's satires attack human folly and raise questions about a number of important issues in man's life. One might even argue that his satires struggle to help man understand the harsh realities of life. In short. Woody Allen employs humor to explore serious themes. Because Woody Allen is most famous for his role in the film industry, practically everything