French Laughter: Literary Humour from Diderot to Tournier by Walter Redfern

Abstract

572 Reviews theyare currently undertaking. Taken together, the collection does demonstrate the extraordinary level of interconnection and contact across Europe thathas attracted growing attention from scholars of the Enlightenment in recent years. It reinforces the importance of French language and culture in eighteenth-century Europe, but at the same time complicates the picture, fruitfully moving us away from the image of French as a hegemonic cultural force to demonstrate that different groups, in a variety of contexts, used different languages for their own local and sometimes personal purposes. Monash University David Garrioch French Laughter: LiteraryHumour from Diderot toTournier. ByWalter Redfern. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2007. viii+245 pp. ?25. ISBN 978-0-19 923757-9. Walter Redfern has spentmany cheerful years analysing humour and comic writing. This monograph is a joyride through aspects ofwriters who have tickled his fancy, even some not renowned for their humour, such as Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Some of thematerial has previously appeared in part, as the author is astute enough to know that nothing is totally original, self-plagiarism ismanifestly permissible. This adventure into the highways and byways of humour has no pretensions to a systematic development despite following a broadly chronological approach. The author's examples are predominantly taken from fiction.He concentrates on 'literary textswhich are triggered, energized, and sustained by humour' (p. 1) rather than thosewhere humour makes an occasional appearance. He is intrigued by cross-talk acts' (p. 4) and somakes demands on the collaborative willingness of his readers as they engage with his 'interactive book' (p. 6). It is thus entirely appropriate thathe begins with Diderot and, inparticular, with thatmagnificent ragbag of storytelling, Jacques lefataliste. The intricate levels of comedy, of game-playing in this text encourage the reader's own sense of humour to come into play. The exuberant abundance of anecdotes supplied by thewide diversity of characters testifies that anyone can be a storyteller (p. 29). As the creator of thismultifaceted work, Diderot is ingeniously depicted as 'an ironic, ludic god' (p. 31). Redfern investigates what he terms the 'delayed-action, slow-burn variety' (p. 77) of humour inHuysmans, thereby providing numerous surprising insights. The parrot and psittacism are given extended treatment, almost star billing in relation to Flaubert and others. The essential role of comedy with itsdifferent roles is elucidated in theworks of Valles, Celine, and Queneau. In a stimulating juxtaposition across the centuries, Diderot's Jacques and Sartre's Roquentin are compared. Jacques's love of stories is contrasted with Roquentin's hatred of them; 'Jacques le fataliste is social, La Nausee is alienated' (p. 145). Unsurprisingly, thefictional world of Beckett is subtly assessed with the differences between English and French versions highlighted (p. 171). The lastmajor author under discussion isTournier, whose predilection forwordplay is amply demonstrated. At the end of some chapters (but not all, as thatwould be far too tidy), Redfern appends mini-chapters which he labels riffs. These fag-ends MLR, 104.2, 2009 573 enable him todiscourse on dreams, black humour, politics, and taste.Their presence enhances the richness of a studywhich seeks to enthuse and stimulate rather than definitively explain/explain away the forms and functions of humour. Indeed, unlike Bergson (p. 162), the author asserts thathe does not possess an overarching theory of humour (p. 205). Incisive and telling observations pervade his enquiry. Humour may be 'brutal1but itcan also be 'forgivingtowards humans' sins and crimes' (p. 53). It requires targets; there is no laughter in Utopias (p. 132). It is not exclusively connected with humane sentiments as it can be appreciated and practised by the good and bad alike (p. 178). Redfern pw/ictuates his argument with his own verbal play: pun and fun go together. JustlikeDiderot and Flaubert, he iswell aware that the provision of definitive conclusions is folly;he avoids thatbanana skin. Instead, his final chapter is termed Tnconclusion'. So ends, so to speak, an idiosyncratic but wise excursion into the delightful topic of humour in French writing. This isnot a study for the uninitiated but a welcome companion for fellow travellerswho know thathumour is a serious but not a solemn ingredient of human experience. Queen's University Belfast Simon Davies Correspondance litteraire. By Friedrich Melchior Grimm. Ed...