Publication Title

The Unspeakable: Narratives of Trauma

Document Type

Book Chapter

Department or Program

German and Russian Studies

Publication Date

2014

Abstract

The chapter discusses the manifestations and functions of humor and laughter in two of the most popular and influential German novels written in the Weimar era (1919-1933): Erich Maria Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front (first published in 1929) and Ernst Jünger's Storm of Steel (first edition in 1920). The investigation of humor and laughter in the narratives focuses on their function as a vehicle for communicating traumatic events to non-combatant audiences and establishing popular images of the conflict, as well as their function of acknowledging and expressing the incongruity that accompanies a traumatic experience. In addition, humor and laughter in the two works are depicted as a social device that allows the establishment of a community united by shared laughter at something or someone, or stresses group solidarity.

Comments

Original version is available from the publisher at: https://doi.org/10.3726/978-3-653-04423-2

Copyright Note

This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Bates College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.

Required Publisher's Statement

This is an Author Accepted Manuscript that has been published in The Unspeakable: Narratives of Trauma edited by Magda Stroińska, Vikki Cecchetto, and Kate Szymanski. The original work can be found at: https://doi.org/10.3726/978-3-653-04423-2 © 2014 Peter Lang Publishing. All rights reserved.

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