The Humor of Christopher Moore

Diplomarbeit Titel der Diplomarbeit: The Humor of Christopher Moore Verfasserin: Alexandra Corinna Damaris Bainschab angestrebter akademischer Grad: Mag.a phil. Wien, im Jänner 2009 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt: A 190 344 333 Matrikelnr. lt. Studienblatt: 0201010 Studienrichtung lt. Studienblatt: Lehramtsstudium UF Englisch UF Deutsch Betreuer: Dr. Rudolf Weiss To Graeme, Plague and Max, in gratitude for their professional advice and motivational support. TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………..…………..3 II. CHRISTOPHER MOORE: A POPULAR AMERICAN AUTHOR OF HUMOROUS FICTION…………………………………………………………...4 II. 1 BIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………4 II. 2 MOORE’S SELF-CONCEPTION AS A WRITER………………………..7 II. 3 ONLINE PRESENCE AND PUBLIC IMAGE…………………………….9 II. 4 RECEPTION OF LITERARY WORKS………………………………….11 III. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: HUMOR THEORY…………………….13 III. 1 PRELIMINARIES: HUMOR – A CONCEPT HARD TO DEFINE…….13 III. 2 THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE TERM ‘HUMOR’…………………….14 III. 3 A SURVEY OF HUMOR RESEARCH………………………………….15 III. 3. 1 From the Greeks to the Renaissance……………………………..15 III. 3. 2 Modern theories……………………………………………...…..18 III. 3. 2. 1 Incongruity, hostility and release theories…………....18 III. 3. 2. 2 Semiotic and text theories……………………………..20 III. 3. 2. 3 Script-based theories…………………………………22 III. 3. 3 Special types of humor: register humor, puns, canned and conversational jokes……………………………………………...24 IV. ANALYSIS OF THE PRIMARY LITERATURE……………………………26 IV. 1 NARRATOLOGICAL ANALYSIS……………………………………..26 IV. 1. 1 The function of physical movement……………………………..26 IV. 1. 2 Structural aspects………………………………………………..28 IV. 2 CHARACTER ANALYSIS……………………………………………...30 IV. 2. 1 General comparison of the protagonists…………………………30 IV. 2. 2 The protagonists as ‘picaresque saints’………………………….32 IV. 2. 3 The function of the (main) characters’ humor…………………...35 1 IV. 2. 4. Moore’s comic characters……………………………………….38 IV. 2. 4. 1 Character humor………………………………………38 IV. 2. 4. 2 The (pliable) lustful male……………………………...40 IV. 2. 4. 3 The (sexually) superior female………………………...47 IV. 2. 4. 4 The hapless ‘Beta Male’………………………………51 IV. 2. 4. 5 The smart aleck………………………………………..53 IV. 2. 4. 6 The trickster…………………………………………...58 IV. 2. 4. 7 The eccentric mind…………………………………….62 IV. 2. 5. Characters as representations of common stereotypes………….67 IV. 2. 5. 1 National stereotypes…………………………………...67 IV. 2. 5. 2 Ethnic stereotypes……………………………………..72 IV. 2. 5. 3 Stereotypes about sub-cultures and stigmatized groups……………………………………..76 IV. 2. 5. 4 Sexist and gender clichés……………………………...81 IV. 3 ANALYSIS OF PREVALENT TOPICS………………………………...82 IV. 3. 1 Absurdity………………………………………………………...82 IV. 3. 2 The macabre……………………………………………………..84 IV. 3. 3 Crude language and sex………………………………………….87 IV. 3. 4 Religion………………………………………………………….90 IV. 3. 5 High and popular culture………………………………………...94 V. CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………..99 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………….101 INDEX……………………………………………………………………………...104 Abstract (English)…………………………………………………………………..110 Abstract (German)………………………………………………………………….112 2 I. INTRODUCTION Humour lies neither in laughter nor in jokes but only in the minds of men. (La Fave quoted in Alexander, 16) Humor is a phenomenon that is valued by people all over the world, regardless of their nationalities, belief systems and education. Despite this general human appreciation of the comic, however, individuals may disagree greatly in terms of what they find amusing and what not. A particular person’s sense of humor is shaped by his/her upbringing and past experiences, or more generally, the cultural environment in which he/she grows up and/or presently lives. Literature on humor research suggests that sociocultural knowledge forms the foundation for an appreciation of verbal humour. […] Sharing ‘background assumptions’ makes up a portion of these prerequisites. […] The culture-bound nature of sense of humour comes from ‘shared upbringing’, presumably resulting in common prejudices, and world knowledge in general. (Alexander, 118) Moreover, deeming a specific written or spoken representation of language or a sight funny is also connected to one’s personality and subjective taste, both of which seem to be innate rather than accountable for by external influences. In Lodge’s words, ‘[h]umour is a notoriously subjective matter[.]’ (Lodge, 111) As manifold as the opinions and judgments about what is comic and what is not are the reasons for which people use humor. For instance, it allows us to connect and establish common ground when laughing at a joke together. Yet, it is also frequently used to set boundaries and exclude others from conversations, as can be the case with insider jokes. Of course, humor in fiction can serve similar purposes within the frame of the narrative, but its main aim is certainly to entertain the readers and elicit laughter. This thesis strives to explore the means by which the novelist Christopher Moore achieves comic effect. To attain this goal, several aspects from the field of humor theory, which appears to serve as the most promising framework when engaging in the discussion of humorous fiction, is drawn upon. A thorough analysis of the novels • A Dirty Job • Coyote Blue • Fluke or, I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings • Island of the Sequined Love Nun and • Lamb – The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal1 1 They will be referred to as Job, Coyote, Fluke, Island and Lamb, respectively, in this thesis. 3 does not only allow an in-depth illustration of the author’s narrative humor, but also provides an insight into his general writing style. The choice of the stories selected is based on the intention to present and discuss a varied range of Moore’s fictional accounts, which unfold through the actions of his diverse characters and their interaction with each other. A comprehensive comparison of the protagonists and several minor characters as well as a discussion of prominent topics – both examinations beyond the separate story boundaries – serve to shed light on the stylistic characteristics of the contemporary American writer. Due to the subjective appreciation of various forms of humor, the object of this thesis is not assessing the comic value or success of particular amusing elements, but arranging them in suitable categories in order to present their variety. This classification also facilitates the identification of the common features found in the primary literature under consideration. II. CHRISTOPHER MOORE: A POPULAR AMERICAN AUTHOR OF HUMOROUS FICTION II. 1 BIOGRAPHY Christopher Moore was born in Toledo, Ohio in 19572 and grew up in Mansfield, Ohio with his mother (a department store clerk) and his father (a highway patrolman). The writer describes his own upbringing as ‘basic suburban’ (http://old.chrismoore. com/bio.htm) and rather carefree. During his teenage years and twenties he held several jobs such as roofer, night clerk in a grocery store, factory worker, disk jockey and waiter. After having studied anthropology at Ohio State, the author moved to California, where he studied at the Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara. He also took a few extension courses in writing. On his website Moore admits that he had an alcohol problem around the age of thirty. He then quit drinking and started to write. A year later his first novel Practical 2 Cf. http://www.phantastik-couch.de/christopher-moore.html 4 Demonkeeping was finished. The author says about himself, ‘From the time Demonkeeping sold I have lived my life in books, not years. I never remember what year things happened, only what book I was working on.’ (http://old.chrismoore.com/ bio.htm) Following the publication of his first book, Moore met with several movie producers but missed the opportunity to become a screenplay writer. During his research for Coyote the author lived in a trailer on a Crow reservation in Montana for one month. His acquaintance with an elderly shaman, who, during a traditional Native American sweat ritual, told him about the Crow’s scared medicine bundles and folk stories, gave him the necessary ideas to finish his second novel back in California. The writer’s third book Bloodsucking Fiends was originally intended as a radio play. In order to rewrite the script into a novel, Moore wandered the streets of San Francisco, watching people. The author explains that the main character Tommy ‘was based more than somewhat on [him]self at the same age (19).’ (http://old.chrismoore. com/bio.htm) By then, he had been awarded a contract with the publishing house Simon and Schuster. While waiting restaurant tables, the author heard tales of Micronesia from a frequent customer. Inspired by such stories, Moore traveled to the island of Truk, resulting in his novel Island. He was also an anthropology student at this time, though he failed to complete his degree. Putting his knowledge to good use, he researched the native population on an outer island of Yap for a month. Moore’s next literary endeavor The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove was a reunion of the characters found in his debut novel. The town (Pine Cove) in both novels was modeled on the writer’s experience with his own home, a Californian coastal village. Another autobiographical incident, several of his friends trying to stop taking anti- depressants, provided Moore with the necessary plot for the book. After watching a series on PBS, in which scholars discussed the life of Jesus, the author decided to focus on Christ’s first thirty years in his book Lamb. He researched Jesus’ historical

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