Raquel Pereira

Campus Novels - Dr. Heike Grundmann

Academic comedy in Kingsley Amis’s Lucky Jim

Thesis: In Kingsley Amis’s Lucky Jim, comic effects are achieved by means of elaborate language, physical comedy and a surgical insight into the mind of the novel’s main character.

Introduction

Lucky Jim is a satirical novel in which Amis uses several resources – language, physical comedy, a peculiar point of view – to achieve a humorous critique of the British academic world in the 1950’s. He does not choose Oxford or Cambridge as setting for his novel; instead, the story takes place in a provincial university of smaller size and importance. Throughout the novel the main character, Jim Dixon, stumbles his way through incidents, misunderstandings and lies, while trying to fit to the academic world.

Sources of comedy in Lucky Jim

1. Point of view

a. A passport to Dixon’s wild imagination

One of the most remarkable ways through which Amis achieves pure comedy is by using a third-person narration with privileged access to the mind of his main character, Jim Dixon. The narrator’s point of view is limited, but Dixon’s imagination definitely is not. Through the novel we have access to his thoughts and perceptions, to the frenzy of his emotions, to the judgments he makes about those around him and, specially, to the parallel reality that unfolds in his head whenever he is confronted with a situation he would rather avoid.

This freedom allows for the detailed description of extreme situations. If we were not in the realm of imagination it would be hard to justify scenes such as a double murder of bus drivers (“Making a lot of noise, a farm tractor (…) He’d choose the last of these, if consulted.” Amis, 244- 245) or the beating of a University Professor with a bottle after having tied him to a chair (“He no longer wanted, for example, to inscribe (…) he’d given his sons French names” Amis, 85). In these examples a vivid, detailed image is painted and strongly strikes us with its absurdity – the absurd exaggeration of the revenge in comparison to the actual situation that originates it. They are, however, mere products of Dixon’s unleashed, uncensored mind; hence we are free to enjoy their comic effect without being confronted with the consequences to the story or to the mental health of the protagonist, were they to be real.

b. Incongruence and Dixon’s character traits

Through Dixon’s eye we also see the world translated by his cynicism and pessimism. He struggles to fit into the academic world (and hence secure his job) while having a firm believe that he does not naturally belong there and must hide his true self if he wishes to be accepted. This incongruence is present all throughout the novel, either in Dixon’s relations to others, either in the duality between how he behaves and how he would like to behave if he had the necessary courage. His negative perceptions are a good source of comedy and academic criticism:

- “It was a perfect title (…) upon non-problems” (Amis, 14) – Dixon acknowledges the mediocrity of his article while at the same time considering such mediocrity as the norm in the academic world; - “How had he become Professor of History (…) No in italics” (Amis, 8) – Dixon considers that luck rather than competence is probably the relevant success factor, and he fears he might not have such good luck himself.

Dixon’s sense of inadequacy results in his spending a big portion of the novel struggling with feelings of panic, alarm, fear and rage, which add to the comic effect. On the other hand, it creates in him a need to lie about himself and his capacities (for example, by pretending that he can sing). The conviction that his tiniest flaw will cost him the job triggers a sequence of lies, allows other characters, such as Margaret, to manipulate him and generates, in turn, further misunderstandings and lies.

As a result, bizarre sequences of events take place. For example, by not being able to say “no” to his Professor, Dixon his trapped into an arty weekend at the Welches; by lying about his singing skills he sees himself forced to join the group of madrigal singers; all the stress of this situation, which doesn’t bear the minimum appeal to him, leads him once more to an escape towards the nearest pub. Drunk, he ends up accidentally burning the bed sheets of the Welches, and with his usual disbelief in his luck and his exaggerated fear, he assumes that there is no way to be honest about the incident. This entire episode is narrated in great detail, step by step; we learn about each new disgrace at the same time that Dixon does, and so the surprise effect helps to create a humorous situation.

c. Anti-heroism and escapism

“English fiction in the years since World War II has produced a new kind of protagonist. He is a rather seedy young man and suspicious of all pretensions. He spends a lot of time in pubs, has any number of half-hearted love affairs. He gets into trouble with his landlady, his boss, and his family. There is nothing heroic about him, unless it is his refusal to be taken in by humbug.” (Van O’Connor)

Jim Dixon is not a heroic character; he is rather the anti-hero who, in face of difficulties, invariably chooses the less dignified way to get rid of them. So it is not only that unfortunate things happen to him: to a great extent, he invites his own misfortune. As a clumsy, inadequate main character he provides, of course, fertile ground for comic situations.

We are first introduced to Dixon’s desire to escape and move to London by a full page describing a bleak yet alluring vision of the city that crosses his mind while he is in the lavatory (Amis 26). Although this is not an amusing passage, funnier ones will follow throughout the novel, such as in one of Dixon’s conversations with Margaret: “She stayed there so long (…) silently out to the pub.” (Amis, 157). Here it is the obvious (though ardently desired) impossibility of just walking away unnoticed in the middle of a conversation that gives the excerpt a comic edge.

2. Language

Language and style are also clear sources of comedy in Lucky Jim. The use of figures of speech such as the hyperbole, the metaphor, the metonymy and the irony contributes to the desired humorous effect. There are several memorable passages in the novel that illustrate the effectiveness of language as a source of comedy. Here are some examples:

- “Next to Dixon was Cecil Goldsmith (…) impelled to make.” (Amis, 36) – In this example, Amis achieves a comic effect by stating a straightforward fact (Cecil’s voice was powerful enough to neutralize Dixon’s) in a longer-than-necessary sentence with multiple clauses, by using complex and powerful words (“savage”, “obliterate”, “impelled”) and by adding colourful detail (“especially above middle C”).

- “To have seen and talked to (…) third party.” (Amis, 55) – Here, the usage of words like “nonentity”, “handled” and “third party”, which are unusual in this context, generates the comic effect. The words seem to be somewhat out of place.

- “The bloody old towser-faced boot-faced totem pole on a crap reservation” (Amis, 209) – Here we have an elaborate insult in what is also a symbolic moment of the novel: it is the first time that Dixon actually says out loud what he´s thinking.

- “As the body of a decapitated hen (…) dance-steps.” (Amis 117) – In this example, Amis chooses a funny and rather cruel metaphor that alludes to Dixon’s panic reaction when confronted by Christine as being the responsible for the fake Evening Post phone call.

- “As he left the bar (…) to prevent him” (Amis 113) – In this passage, the comic effect is achieved through the language chosen (accumulation of nouns, exaggeration), through the image of an “imbecile smirk” which points to the physical aspect of comedy and through Dixon’s self-deprecating humour (almost fearing to be arrested for dancing with such a beautiful girl).

3. Physical (slapstick) comedy

Amis uses an interesting mixture in the novel: he combines intellectual, rather complex language with situations of physical (so-called slapstick) comedy.

One example of this physical type of comedy is Dixon’s impressive array of faces: the Martian invader face, the Eskimo face, the Shot-in-the-back face, the Sex Life in Ancient Rome face. There are many more; some are thoroughly described in the novel, while others are self-explanatory. Besides the awkward faces, Dixon also indulges in “anarchistic laughters” and in imitations of animals, as in this example: “With a long (…) straighten his body.” (Amis, 205).

A device that becomes a means for comedy is the telephone. In two occasions, Dixon disguises his voice over a phone call, trying to impersonate someone else: there is the Evening Post incident (Amis, 99) and later on his attempt to cancel the date with Christine (Amis, 190). The first impersonation is motivated by a desire to help Christine, while with the second Dixon simply wishes to avoid talking to Ms. Welch and being confronted with his accumulated mistakes. In this second example, the language used also helps to describe how Dixon changes his accent: “’Speak up, London,’ (…) This was a rout.” (Amis, 190). His full potential for imitating voices – unfortunately, in that case, against his will – is revealed in the final and catastrophic lecture about Merrie England (Amis, 223-227). Dixon’s speech, for which he arrives ill-prepared and drunk, his narrated with extensive detail. Once more, as we are seeing the scene through his eyes, we only realize that something is wrong when he does; throughout the speech, we as readers have knowledge only about the present moment - and a limited knowledge, as it arrives at us through the senses of a drunkard.

Some of the most hilarious passages in the novel involve Professor Welch and his chronic absent-mindedness (a stereotype of the University lecturer). One example of this stereotype combined with physical comedy is Welch’s fight with the library’s revolving door (which might even remind us of Buster Keaton’s movies): “Dixon dropped the papers (…) it was things like this that kept him going” (Amis, 174). Finally, the aggressiveness Dixon feels towards his immediate outside world and its inhabitants also imprints physical characteristics to his daydreams. Such aggressiveness is at last realized, towards the end of the novel, in his fight with Bernhard.

Conclusion:

Through a brilliant use of humour, Amis addresses aspects such as:

- The lack of effort and of actual work produced by the university’s most renowned teachers; - The failure of meritocracy as a means to achieve a successful career in the academic world; - The clash between low/middle-class and upper class members; - The meaninglessness of many academic publications; - The pretentious use of art and culture as status symbols.

Although the comedy sources used are many and closely interweaved, it is my opinion that the three here isolated and presented are essential for the success of Amis comic purposes. The combination of these different elements allows Amis to reach different target audiences (sensitive to different types of humour), and the freedom with which he uses them often creates a surprise effect on the reader.

Bibliography:

Lucky Jim, Kingsley Amis, Penguin Modern Classics, 2012.

True Comic Edge in Lucky Jim, Robert H. Bell, Williams College, American Humor, Vol. 8, No.2 (Fall, 1981), pp. 1-7

Inside Lucky Jim, Peter Snow, The Oxonian Review of Books, 2006

Two Types of “Heroes” in Post-War British Fiction, William Van O’Connor, PMLA, Vol. 77, No. 1, March 1962, pp. 168-174

Lucky Jim and Academic Wishful Thinking, Richard Fallis, Studies in the Novel, Vol. 9, No. 1 (Spring, 1977), pp. 65-72