Abstract
Recent work on the application of relevance theory to humorous speech-acts (jokes) defines these as being characterised by an increased demand in processing effort for the attainment of maximum contextual effects. This increase, however, is limited to the resolution of incongruities typically presented in this sort of utterance. Humorous novels, because of their greater length, are rather more complex, and base the process of incongruity-resolution largely on an interplay of internal coherence established by the use of strong implicatures in the depiction of character, and external incongruity established on the level of the narrator's appeal to the reader's encyclopaedic knowledge. The use of strong implicatures, which characterises these works and seems necessary for the sustained creation of humour, would probably explain the fact that they are intuitively and almost invariably considered third-class literature, since "good" literature, according to relevance theory, is characterised by a complexity and multiplicity of contextual effects produced fundamentally by the use of weak implicature.
Highlights
It seems to be accepted that, contrary to Austin and Grice's initial view of literature as a parasitic use of language, literary works may be categorísed as complex communicative acts which draw upon certain mental processes both in their production and their reception, Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses and which are open to the insights of Pragmatics, and of relevance theory
Andrew Goatley, in an article on register, relevance theory and metaphor, argües against the belief of Grice and his followers that "linguistic exchanges have as their main aim the efficient exchange of information, or the maximal mutual expansión of cognitive environments with the minimum processing" (1994:150), and defends the idea a) that many uses of language do not have the exchange of information as their primary purpose and b) that different types or genres of communicative acts demand different ways of computing relevance involving different degrees of processing effort and different amounts of time taken in the process
In terms of Pragmatics and relevance theory this implies an increase in processing effort for the attainment of relevant contextual effects, but this processing effort, though important for the desired perlocutionary effects, must have a limited extensión, or valué, or humour vanishes into thin air
Summary
It seems to be accepted that, contrary to Austin and Grice's initial view of literature as a parasitic use of language, literary works may be categorísed as complex communicative acts which draw upon certain mental processes both in their production and their reception, Revista Alicantina de Estudios Ingleses and which are open to the insights of Pragmatics, and of relevance theory. Other writers point out that the process of reading a text, whether hterary or not, is in itself a peculiarly lengthy one, and oceupies a considerable space of time (Prieto Pablos, 1996) Since they require no immediate practical response on the part of the receiver, one of the fundamental traits of "literary" texts, exploited by both producer and reader, is that in perusing them the latter is at leisure to devote an amount of time and processing effort which he cannot afford in other communicative contexts such as normal conversation, and can draw múltiple "weak" implicatures from the Relevance Theory, Humour, and the Narrative Structure illocutionary acts with which he is presented, exploiting relevance to the utmost (Várela, 1993). My observations in this case are founded on the evidence provided by more or less contemporary works generally held to have an overall humorous effect (as distinct from "serious" novéis with elements of humour in them), such as Kingsley Amis' Lucky Jim or One FatEnglishman, William Boyd's A Good Man in África or Stars and Bars, or the novéis of Tom Sharpe
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