Wit and Comedy in Literature - Book Report/Review Example

of the of the Concerned 6 May 2009 Our appreciation of wit and comedy is greatly enhanced if we recognize the extent to which inherited conventions of the genre are being manipulated. Discuss with specific examples from two of the set texts. The very endeavour of approaching a work of literature by correlating it with the conventions of the genre it affiliates to, enhances the basic understanding pertaining to that work, be it the poetry, drama or fiction. Thus a thorough understanding of the genre is immensely useful as it helps a reader to evaluate how a writer has absorbed, manipulated and extended the standard practices adopted and followed by the authors that exited before and after him. This also enables the reader to approach a work of literature with a comparative mindset, thereby allowing one to recognize and comprehend the multiple connections that a work exudes with regard to other such works. Analyzing a literary master piece in the context of its genre not only helps the reader to understand the common literary elements attributed to that genre, but also facilitates a creative cognizance of the extent to which the inherited conventions of that genre are being manipulated. The direct fallout of such a perspective is that it enhances one's appreciation of the originality of the work under consideration. This stands particularly true with regards to the works of comedy or satire. Any literary work imbued with humour and satire does often have subtle nuances and a soft but potent finesse, which demands all the astuteness at the disposal of reader to release its effect. Hence it really helps to study comedy and satire in a systematic and organized manner, which certainly involves a reorganization of the fundamental conventions of the involved genre. It will be really enlightening to cross examine two literary classics, which are 'The Rape of the Lock' and 'The importance of being Earnest' with a keen eye on the extent and attitude with which these works of comedy and satire have been crafted in the context of the conventions of the genres to which the owe allegiance to. Certainly such an attempt promises a more sophisticated enjoyment and savouring of the wit and comedy woven in these works. 'The Rape of the Lock' is a social satire written in the Mock-Epic tradition. A mock-epic is in fact a parody of the exalted epic form. In the works affiliated to such genre, a theme obviously unworthy of, an incident quiet trifling in itself is treated in the grand manner of an epic (Abrams 2000, p.27). All the leading features- invocation, presentation of the theme, battles and the fighting heroes, interference of the supernatural machinery, grand style of description, epic similes and dialogue are brought in the mock exaltation of the trivial subject (Abrams 2000, p.27). Apart from these, there are particular scenes, speeches, details, phrases, which are parodied and alluded to, for the contrast (Abrams 2000, p.27). When the dignified kind of composition is turned to witty use, the poem becomes a mock-epic. In fact though incongruously, it ridicules a petty topic and brings home a misplaced sense of values. 'The Rape of the Lock' being a mock-epic, provides a parallel to a complete epic poem. In strict adherence to the conventions of this genre, it opens with the statement of the theme and an invocation to a goddess for assistance in the work. Pope sings not the fall of man or the wrath of Achilles; it is the clipping of a lock of hair from a girl's head (Daiches 2000, p.629). The theme and the invocation to the muse are set forth in the following exalted words: "What dire offences from the amorous causes springs. What mighty contests rise from trivial things," (i, 1-2) - "Say what strange motive, Goddess could compel A well-bred Lord to assault a gentle Belle" (i, 7-8) Pope throughout the poem is able to keep the pompous language. This in fact is the secret of the mock-epic style; the greater the disparity between the triviality of thought and high seriousness of the language, the greater is the comic effect (Daiches 2000, p.629). The most beautiful mock-epic lines are those where Pope comments on the exultation of Belinda at her victory in the game of Ombre; these lines are reminiscent of Virgil: "Oh, thoughtless mortals! even blind to fate, Too soon dejected and too, soon elate Sudden, these honours shall be snatched away And curs'd for ever this victorious day." (iii, 391-394) These lines make the reader believe that something fateful is coming, but what actually happens is the cutting of a lock from a girl's head. Belinda's dressing is painted in as pompous a manner as the arming of Achilles: "awful Beauty puts on all its Arms." And then she launched for the adventures of the day. Belinda, when she reaches the Hampton Court, is incited by the "thirst of fame" and she "burns to conquer". Warfare, an important feature of the epic form, is described twice in 'The Rape of the Lock'. First there is the game of Ombre; emotionally the heroic treatment of it is not illogical. The catalogue of armies, description of the king, queens, knaves and the parti-coloured troops over the "velvet plain" is epical in all, but in length. For the adventures of the single heroes, Pope uses the Homeric idiom of war description: "With his broad sabre next, a chief in years, The hoary Majesty of Spades appears: Puts forth one manly Leg, to sight reveal'd The rest his many- colour'd RRoe Conceal'd. The Rebel-Knave, who dares his Prince engage Proves that just Victim of his Royal Rage, Ev'n mighty Pam that Kings and Queens o'erthrew, And mow'd down Armies in the Fight of Loo, Sad Chance of war: now: destitute of Aid, Falls undistinguish'd by the victor Spade," (iii, 345-350) The comparison of the scattering cards with the confusion of a "routed army" running increases the mock-heroic effect. The other war incident is in Canto V where the heroes and the heroines fight like the heroes and heroines of Homer, yet they do not use common weapons but fans, snuff eyes and bodkins. Confused shouts arise and " Fans clap, Silks rustle and tough Whalebones crack". Thalestris "Scatters death around from both her eyes". Mock-heroic terms are finally preserved in the metaphorical murders of Dapperwit and Sir Fopling. Belinda scores a victory over the Barron with a charge of snuff and by using a bodkin. In the epic, supernatural machinery consisting of gods and angles intervenes in the action (Latimer 2006, p.691). Sylphs and gnomes serve as friends and enemies of the heroine. The mythology is full of the most fanciful wit and is perfectly adapted to the purpose and the spirit of the poem. Their origins and the duties are most ingeniously conceived. Their powers and passions are proportionate to their operations. The sylphs and the gnomes act at the toilet and the tea table. They render their proper share of help and mischief (Latimer 2006, 691). By making the sylphs helpless, when the rape of the lock occurs, Pope greatly increases the mock epical effect. The "thousand sprites" swiftly repair just to twitch the diamond in her ear or get confused and retire. The gnomes on the other hand, fully take part in the action. The battle might not have taken place if there had been no gnomes. They stir the passions of the heroes. Jove in Heaven with his golden scale, who also takes part in the 'Iliad' and the 'Aeneid', participates in the action, but instead of the fates of the countries or heroes, here he weighs men's wit against the ladies' hair. 'The Rape of the Lock' is full of references taken from Milton and Homer and many other epic sources. While talking about Belinda's petticoat, Pope alludes to the shield of Ajax as consisting of seven-fold hide; and also in the "sliver bound" of the petticoat, there is a reference to the shield of Achilles surrounded by a silver boundary. The failure of Dido and Anna to delay the hero's departure finds reference when Belinda and Thalestris fail to get the lock from the Baron. Umbriel receiving the pangs of passion and sorrows is like Ulysses getting Aedus contain all the winds. The colourful description of the Sylphs, particularly their immortality and their ability to change sex is full of the burlesques of Milton. Clarissa's speech which forms the serious moral of the poem is a parody of the speech of Sarpedon to Glaucus in Homer. In imitation of the progress of Agamemnon's sceptre in Homer, Pope tells how Belinda's bodkin once formed the rings, buckle and the whistle of her ancestors, and "Then in a Bodkin grace'd her Mother's Hairs ...which long long she wore and now Belinda wears." (v, 95-96) Thus by using devices of epic and paroding details in the epics, Pope is able to keep up an exquisite mock-heroic spirit. Though the theme of the poem is inherently humorous, the very recognition of the craft with which Pope adapts it to the mock-epic genre exponentially enhances ones enjoyment of the wit and the comedy that define this work. One another work of fiction, which is bound to enhance a reader's grasp over the wit and humour inherent in it, if proper attention is paid to the genre which circumscribes it, is "The Importance of being Earnest". In accordance with a thorough work of comedy, it has all the essential elements that are set to amuse and interest a reader, though there is no denying the fact that this drama tacitly deals with the vital social issues of its times. In the tradition of a true comedy, it exploits the peculiarities of the characters and their discomfiture ensuing from an engagement in peculiar situations to please and engage the attention of the readers. In "The Importance of Being Earnest", Algernon Moncrieff, happens to be least earnest as he leads a secret life to have a taste of the pleasures denied to his class. Still it is the wit and sparkle of the dialogues rendered by the characters that give way to humour by unravelling the social duplicity and moral hypocrisy that is the prerogative of the upper classes in all times. For example, Algernon's dialogues in Act I smack of wit and humour at the expense of social conventions and mores, and the human ability to bypass them with ingenuity and tact. "Lane's views on marriage seem somewhat lax. Really if the lower orders do not set a good example, what on earth is the use of them They seem, as a class, to have absolutely no sense of moral responsibility." (Act I, Part i) In "The Importance of being Earnest', Oscar Wilde carries forward the tradition of Comedy of Manners by elaborating on the relationships and machinations of the young men and women belonging to the upper strata of the society (Abrams 2000, p.39). The characters in the drama interact with each other and through their wit and sparkling dialogue, ridicule and tacitly condone the violation of the set social standards and the recognized sense of propriety. The sense of comic is also accentuated by the discernable contrast in the characters. In the story, Algernon represents the age old elitist tradition where the girls tend to avoid marrying the men they flirt with, where "in married life, three is a company and two is none" and where divorces are considered to be forged in heaven. Jack on the contrary, owes allegiance to a higher moral order. The verbal fencing and repartee involving these two characters gives way to much fun and joy. Similarly, Gwendolen stands to be a total contrast to her mother Lady Bracknell. Where Gwendolen believes in marrying for love, Lady Bracknell insists on choosing a husband for her that qualifies some other kind of criteria. She wittily insists on Gwendolen adhering to the set social order by saying that "I do not approve of anything that tempers with natural ignorance." Thus this superficial adherence of the characters to the recognized social conventions betrayed by their discernable moral laxity and intemperance or an ideological approval of it that gives the material for comedy, as is the true mark of a Comedy of Manners. The sense of the ridiculous is also enhanced by the absurdity of the differences existing in the upper and lower classes that is merely and only confined to material possessions, while essentially being same so far as the moral standards are concerned (Contemporary Review 2006, p.538). The only difference is that the rich in the drama afford a better verbal sophistication and social prerogative to undiscernibly bypass the social norms. Much of the dialogue between Algernon and Lane testifies to this gaiety rich social tendency. "Lane. I have only been married once. That was in consequence of a misunderstanding between myself and a young person. Algernon. (languidly) I don't know that I am much interested in your family life, Lane. Lane. No, sir, it is not a very interesting subject. I never think of it myself. (Act I, Part i) This nature of witty and boisterous dialogue between two people belonging to the different social strata is the technique employed in the comedy of manners to enhance its humours and absurdly funny nature (Abrams 2000, p.39). Oscar Wilde amply exploits all the elements of this genre to embellish the work under consideration with wit and comedy. Hence, it goes without saying that it definitely pays to have a good understanding of the fundamental conventions of the genre so far as the study of the literary works of satire and comedy are concerned. This makes the appreciation of the inherent wit and comedy more intense, enhanced and well informed. Total Words: 2,269 Works Cited Abrams, M.H. 2000. A Glossary of Literary Terms, 7th edn., New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. David, Daiches 2000. A Critical History of English Literature Vol. III, London: Martin & Warburg. Latimer, Bonnie 2006. Alchemy of Satire: A history of sylphs in the Rape of The Lock. Review of English Studies, Vol. 57, Issue 232, p. 684-7000. Pope, Alexander 2007, The Rape of the Lock, New York: Wildside Press. The Importance of being Earnest 2006. Contemporary Review, Vol. 288, Issue 1683, p. 534-538. Wilde, Oscar 2009. The Importance of being Earnest, viewed 6 May 2009 Read More