Comic Effect Research Articles

Интертекстуальные включения как средство создания комического эффекта (на материале смеховой литературы Древней Руси XVII в.)

This study aims to determine the role of intertextual elements in creating a comic effect in the 17th century Russian satires. Two novels representing the humorous literature of the 17th century Russia serve as the material of the research: The Tale of Drunkard and The Tale of the Peasant’s Son. Medieval culture is based on Christianity with the biblical text at its core. Intertextual elements represented by biblical allusions and quotes are important elements in the plot and composition of the texts under research. The results of the analysis in terms of lexis and stylistics show that the comic effect created by intertextual elements is based on the contrast of modalities between the source and target texts, which is achieved due to the antithesis “heavenly/earthly”. Despite the fact that the texts of the Bible have different artistic modalities, the episodes of the Old and New Testaments quoted in the texts in question do not possess satirical modality per se, which results in a conflict that develops between the target and the source texts, the comic effect being driven by this conflict. On the level of the language it is reflected in lexical units with different stylistic marking being constantly used within one sentence or in adjacent sentences. Each biblical allusion or quote contains Church Slavonic lexemes, which have solemn and sublime marking. In parodies on the biblical text allusions and quotes acquire new lexical environment, in particular, the Church Slavonic vocabulary is substituted by commonplace words, which leads to the conflict of modalities, and, consequently, creates a comic effect.

Diphilus’ Paralyomenos (P. Louvre 7733v, col. ii, 32-35): Reading the Evidence

Abstract P. Louvre 7733v is the only source to attest a comedy by Diphilus entitled Paralyomenos and fr. 59 K.-A. from this play. This article ventures a cautious interrogation of the available—albeit limited and thus unexplored—evidence, with the purpose of extracting as much material as possible that could shed light on this play’s dramatic circumstances. It is argued that the present participle in the title is suggestive of a possibly critical situation (discharge from military service or physical disability) occurring within the course or shortly before the opening of the plot. Given parallel dramatic situations, it could reasonably be inferred that the title-character’s peculiar position may have got him involved in circumstances producing comic effect. Moreover, the restoration of fr. 59 proposed in this article may provide clues to a dramatic crisis. Overall, a close reading of the evidence in conjunction with comic practice could give scope for mapping the material concerning Diphilus’ Paralyomenos onto the dramatic contexts of fourth-century comedy.

LISSI comics as thematic learning media for literacy in elementary school students

As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic causing several problems in the world of education. One of them is the reduced knowledge and skills of students, namely literacy habits, especially in reading-writing literacy and the lack of use of digital media in the current era. The purpose of this study was to prove the effectiveness of LISSI comics as thematic learning media for literacy in grade 3 elementary school students. The research was conducted using a quasi-experimental method with a one group pretest-posttest design. The research subjects used were grade 3 students at SD N 2 Ringin and SDN 1 Sendangmulyo, Rembang district. The results of the calculation of the Paired Sample T-test show that each data gets a sig. = 0.00, this shows that there are differences in students' literacy skills before and after using LISSI comics. And the N-gain results show an increase in students' abilities. Based on the final results obtained, LISSI comics were declared effective so that they were suitable for use as learning media as well as supporting literacy for third grade elementary school students.

Приемы нарушения литературно-культурного кода Рождества викторианской Англии в малой прозе Дж. К. Джерома (на материале произведения «Пирушка с привидениями»)

The study aims to identify the techniques of violating the literary and cultural code of Christmas in Victorian England in J. K. Jerome’s short prose. The work ‘Told After Supper’ was chosen as the research material. The study is novel in that it is the first to consider the chosen work through the lens of parodying traditional Christmas genres, as well as the cultural tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The paper identifies the key features of the genres of the Christmas story and ghost stories and analyses in detail how Jerome modifies them in his work. Considerable attention is paid to the kind of peculiarities of everyday life and personality traits of representatives of Victorian England that are parodied, as well as the way the comic effect is achieved in the text under consideration. As a result, it has been found that the main parodying techniques in ‘Told After Supper’ are the rationalisation of the miraculous, which destroys the atmosphere characteristic of Christmas genres, the absurdity arising from the multiple repetitions of plot devices, the hyperbolisation of the “narrator’s unreliability”, the projection of the conduct of the living on the world of ghosts and the explication of the social underside of British respectability.

Development of Focusky Multimedia-Based Comics to Increase Students' Learning Interest in Science Subjects

This study aims to find out the process of developing comics based on focusky multimedia. To determine the feasibility of focusky multimedia-based comics to determine the effectiveness of focusky multimedia-based comics to increase student learning interest. This research is an R&D development research or (Research and Development) model of the Robert Maribe Branch using the ADDIE development model. Data collection techniques used are observation, interviews, documentation and questionnaires. Qualitative data analysis was carried out by processing data obtained by validation questionnaires from media experts, material experts, linguists and peer assessments. While the quantitative data were processed by analyzing the pre-requisite normality test and paired sample t-test. The subjects in this study were 20 students of SD Al-Qur'an Rodlotut Tholibin Metro Lampung. From the research results, digital comic media was developed using the ADDIE model, namely Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation. The quality and feasibility of developing comics based on multimedia focusky were obtained from the validation assessments of media experts, material experts, linguists as well as assessments from colleagues, namely with ideal percentages of 88, 90, 86 and 86%, which were categorized as "very feasible" and can be considered. implement in learning. After analyzing the data obtained, it was successful in developing multimedia-based comics focused on natural science material, sub-theme of how the body processes food. Based on the results of the research, the paired sample t-test (one group sample test) with the results on students' interest in learning obtained a Sig. (2 tailed) of 0.000 <0.05. With an average pretest score of 53.30 it increases the results of posttest learning interest with an average score of 78.60

Digital interactive app and students’ mathematics self-efficacy, anxiety, and achievement in the “new normal”

The pandemic brought changes in the educational setup leading all learning institutions to rely on online learning. In instruction, using the e-learning method has increased due to the pandemic. This study investigated the effects of the Digital Interactive Math Comics (DIMaC) mobile App on students’ self-efficacy, anxiety, and achievement in General Mathematics. The study employed quasi-experimental research, specifically a one-group pre-posttest design. Two adapted questionnaires were employed in the study. Results revealed that students’ self-efficacy remained the same as “Moderate,” anxiety significantly decreased, and their achievement improved from “Satisfactory” to “Very Satisfactory” when utilizing the DIMaC App for 6 weeks. A negative correlation was observed between students’ mathematics self-efficacy and anxiety, while no significant association was found in the combination of the other variables. Results revealed that interactive instructional materials like the DIMaC app help students decrease their learning anxiety in the “New Normal” setup and improve learning gain. Learning materials that students manipulate and interact with significantly affect Mathematics Performance. Therefore, school stakeholders, especially the subject teachers, may develop interactive materials to aid students in the new setup in education.

For the Most Part Serious?

Abstract Scholarship has drawn a contrast between modern uses of metalepsis (illogical transgressions of narrative levels), which are frequently assigned comic effects, and their ancient counterparts, which are deemed more serious. This article argues that in the case of authorial metalepsis, a way of expression presenting the narrator as bringing about the effects he describes, the comic potential was already discovered in antiquity. Case studies from Aristophanes, Plato, Horace, Juvenal, Ovid, and Lucian demonstrate how ancient authors use authorial metalepsis to evoke paradoxical scenes of interaction across different levels of representation that support a mocking presentation of other authors.

It’s not funny! – On Wes Anderson’s comedy and genre hybridizations

Wes Anderson is, arguably, the greatest heir to the traditional American comic genre in its different manifestations. Starting with the profound influence of the masters of comedy of the silent era, Buster Keaton and Charles Chaplin, Andersonian comedy also lines up with the works of masters of classical American Comedy such as Frank Capra, George Cuckor, Ernst Lubitsch, Billy Wilder or Preston Sturges, up to the existentialist tone of some of Woody Allen’s comedies. The present contribution analyses, from the perspective of the History of Cinema, the way in which Andersonian comedy draws on this long tradition, crystalizing in the coalescence of up to five comic subtypes: deadpan humour, slapstick, screwball comedy, verbal humour and parody. The latter is of particular significance, since it is the key to the hybridization of cinematic genres that is one of the traits of Anderson’s playful and postmodern approach as a postmodern auteur. Thus, the second part of the article will explore the genre hybridizations through which the Texan filmmaker resignifies the usual meaning of traditional genre conventions, often for the purpose of achieving a very particular comic effect.

Структурные особенности киноповествования в ранних комедиях Чаплина

The article studies the original way of an action developing, building a narrative in the early films of Charlie Chaplin. Compared to traditional models of film narration in which there is a trajectory of the main character moving through the spatial boundaries of the worlds with a series of trials, losses / gains, and the final return of the renewed hero, the great comedian develops and implements a structure based on the character’s ability to annihilate when he enters an unusual world for him meanings and rules on which the familiar world of other characters, ordinary people, is based. Almost from the first independent works, Chaplin uses the theatrical technique of the quirky quo, the confusion that arose as a result of erroneous recognition, both to achieve a comic effect and for the tasks of film narration, in order to show the main feature of his hero — this is a person who always finds himself out of place, not having an identity. He either pretends to be someone else, or he is not taken for who he really is, and thus penetrates into a strange space for him, the laws of organization of which he undermines with ridiculous behavior, gags, bringing the norms to the point of absurdity, hoatizing the established order.

A Relevance Theoretical Approach to Translators Subjectivity in Subtitle Translation

While translation is always indispensable in international communication and exchange, the value of translators always seems to be underestimated. As an intermediary between the source and target language, translators can and should play their subjectivity in the translation practice. The translators subjectivity can be further interpreted from a relevance theoretical approach. This theory believes that translators are responsible for leading the way of comprehension of the audience by building a most identical cognitive environment and avoiding misunderstanding. Translators also play the main role in the two ostensive-inferential communication processes between the author and the translator and between the translator and the audience. Specifically, this paper uses the relevance theory as a foundation to analyze how translators subjectivity is manifested in subtitle translation. It picks out three examples from the lines of a popular American sitcom and finds out that translators do use amplification, conversion, and other strategies to make the ostension in the target language more acceptable for the Chinese audience. From the theoretical basis, the author also gives suggestions for optimizing the translation to retain the same comic effect.

MENTAL AND BEHAVIOURAL DISORDERS IN “THE PROPOSAL” BY ANTON CHEKHOV

Based on the comparative approach, narrative medicine and pathology diagnostics, the article examines the personal psychological deviations of the characters in Anton Chekhov. The article reveals the main stages in the diagnosis and the interpretation of hypochondria, melancholy, timidity from antiquity, where pathological features of personality and types of temperament were associated with the balance of the elements and basic fluids in the human body, to the Enlightenment and the modernity, where personal pathologies were dictated by mental predisposition and social environment. Molière’s main goal is to identify the type of “imaginary patient” as an expression of hypochondria symptom and to ridicule the type of a quack doctor, while for Chekhov («Proposal»), the main character’s hypochondria is complicated by timidity and procrastination, designed to enhance the comic effect of the described situation. This allows us to consider in a new way the difference between the typological approach to the human being as a combination of passions in the classical comedy and in the mature realism of the 19th century. The conclusion is made about the importance of a literary typological study of psychological deviations and pathologies in the history of human civilisation and intellectual culture.

The Phenomenon of Krotovukha in the Light of Epistemology

The subject of the study was one of the most viral Russian trends of the turn of 2022–2023: krotovukha, a tincture on a dead mole, which attracted attention of not only the Internet users, but also of doctors, restaurateurs, historians, and legislators. The aim of the research was to identify the reasons for active participation in communication on such a topic. It was found that the image of the mole is very much in demand in world culture. This is due to its otherness, its ability to act, to change space, to link the underworld with the mundane. Analysis of a video by an alcohol blogger from Moscow revealed the presence of initiation semantics attached to tasting. These types of publications become a modified version of the ritualised round drinking, as evidenced by patriotic themes and masculine accessories. The name itself already potentially contains the semantics of the familiar, the expressive, and the dearly beloved. A large number of memes demonstrate the strength of user reactions to krotovukha. The most comical effect is produced by stylistic disruption. The incredible effects of the “national” elixir are played off. The duality of perception of the character and the drink made from his body makes the recognisable image variable, polyvalent, and suitable for multiple transformations. The article concludes by noting that the recipe that went viral reflects a belief in sympathetic magic, the ritual power of sacrifice and the cosmogonic significance of the rite – the sacred timing of information dissemination.

Methods and means of creating a comic effect of irony in discourse

Stylistic paths give the colorful meaning of the meaning of discourse; therefore they are usually used in literal text. One of them, is irony. Irony is a type of stylistic technique that will be investigated in this article. The purpose of the article is to find out some of its types. Moreover, some literary works, including irony, are illustrated.

Changing The World: How Comics and Graphic Novels Can Shift Teaching

Comic books and graphic novels offer an excellent way to democratize the classroom and improve student learning by giving them the ability to understand social issues and social institutions in a relatable way. This article is a conversation exploring the validity of comics as tools to teach sociology. Specifically, the article does this through examining the effectiveness of comics as a way to analyze gender, the looking glass self, and the sociological imagination and exploring the use of graphic novels to replace traditional texts in the introductory sociology classroom. If one of our disciplinary goals is to change society for the better by boosting the development of sociological imaginations, looking at comics may give us the best format to do so.

Humour through the Scope of Social Theories and Pragmatic Approaches

Abstract: For many years, humour has been the subject of scientific research and it has been related to movies, television shows, literature, sociology, and others. When analysing how comic effect is achieved, humour can be complicated and multifaceted. For that reason, there is no specific theory that explains humour ideally. However, the various social theories and pragmatic approaches to humour, each of which focuses on the different aspects of humour functioning, complement each other. The article aims to present the propositions on humour and the central claims of different social theories and pragmatic approaches. Attention is focused on the butt of the ridicule, the psychoanalytic aspect of humour, and the surprise element. In addition, human agency, cultural knowledge, linguistic means and cognition, ostensive stimuli, and inferential reasoning are also outlined. Thus, the article contributes to a more profound and adequate understanding of the inventive and resourceful propositions on humour and comic discourse analysis. Keywords: humour, superiority theory, relief theory, incongruity theory, conversational maxims, relevance theory.

НЕОҐРАЙСІВСЬКІ ЛІНГВОПРАГМАТИЧНІ ПІДХОДИ ДО ВИВЧЕННЯ ВЕРБАЛЬНОГО ГУМОРУ: ТЕОРЕТИЧНИЙ ТА ЕМПІРИЧНИЙ СИНТЕЗ

Among modern cognitive approaches to uncovering the mechanism of humor generation, the most famous are the Semantic Script Theory of Humor and its improved version – the General Theory of Verbal Humor, which are united under the umbrella of frame/script incongruity inherent in humor. This study is devoted to one of the most discussed pragmatic approaches, which is a part of the General Theory of Verbal Humor, the so-called neo-Gricean theory of Raskin and Attardo. It consists in the fact that jokes, as well as other comic forms, constitute a non-bona-fide mode of communication, which is opposed to the Gricean model and accordingly, it is guided by the humour cooperative principle. On the basis of the analysis of these authors conception (Attardo & Raskin 1994; Attardo 1993, 2003, 2017, etc.) on non-observance of cooperative maxims in a humorous message a zone of productive criticism was highlighted, namely: insufficient distinction between the concepts of 'violation' vs 'flout' of maxims (Dynel 2008, 2013); lack of proper interest in the social context and emotional background of communication, presupposed by Relevance Theory and Politeness Theory, and, accordingly, the communicative norms are limited only by the cooperative principle of Grice; the lack of criteria for intentional violation of communicative maxims, necessary for the identification of humorous implicatures. The comic effect is more likely to be recognised, if, in the course of interpretation, the addressee discovers a repeated maxim flouting, as well as possible ignoring of other norms. Therefore, it is proposed to include to the generally accepted list of Grice's maxims Leach's principle of politeness, which is mostly focused not on the substantive aspect of communication, but on the social one: the speaker's attitude towards third parties in a status-role hierarchy. The obtained results of the theoretical exploration are integrated into an improved model of humor interpretation and illustrated by a intent-analysis of a verbal joke.

СОДЕРЖАТЕЛЬНО-СТИЛЕВЫЕ МАРКЕРЫ ПУБЛИЦИСТИЧЕСКОГО ДИСКУРСА В СБОРНИКЕ С. ДОВЛАТОВА «МАРШ ОДИНОКИХ»

The present article deals with a discourse analysis of the book “March of the Lonely” by S. Dovlatov. Compositionally consisting of 66 text parts – “editor's columns”, is carried out in order to identify the discursive heterogeneity, or interdiscursivity, of the artistic text field, realized through the “dialogue” of artistic and journalistic discourses. The research interest is focused on the identification and systematization of content and style markers perceived as author's “hints” that contribute to a more accurate “identification” different types of discourse (journalistic and artistic) in a single artistic whole by the addressee. In the course of the study, the following markers of journalistic discourse were found: the nature of the addressee, citation and autocitation, ideological interpretation of the events presented, explicitly expressed S. Dovlatov’s position. The author's originality in the book under study is ensured by the free switching of the narrative from the institutionality of journalism, that is, the realization of the writer's intention aimed at the ideological interpretation of the event, to fiction and imagery, explicating irony, comic effect. As a result of the research, the author comes to the conclusion that S. Dovlatov’s artistic method can be qualified as a discursive heterogeneity, which allows whimsically switching the ways of narration with the help of content and stylistic markers of journalistic and artistic discourses.

Figures of contrast as a tool for creating comic effect in standup comedy discourse

The article is devoted to the study of the peculiarities of using figures of contrast (antithesis, acrothesis) in the discourse of stand-up comedy in order to achieve a comic effect and to influence the target audience. The authors describe stand-up in terms of discourse. According to the study, antithesis, as a stylistic device based on the contrast of elements of the statement, is widely used by stand-up comedians to attract the attention of the audience and humorously convey complex ideas. The authors of the article set their tasks to identify and classify examples of antithesis use in stand-up comedy performances; to analyze the strategies of achieving comic effect based on the identified examples and, based on antithesis and acrothesis, in combination with the stylistic device of irony. The paper describes semantic and syntactic variations of antithesis in standup comedy discourse, expressed both implicitly and explicitly. The results of the study show that standup comedians skillfully use antithesis in the creation of their works to compare opposing concepts, use negation and play based on the use of direct and figurative meanings of words, and manipulate semantic and syntactic structures. Understanding the basis for the use of such figures of contrast as antithesis and acrothesis in standup comedy discourse will allow us to understand this complex sociolinguistic and global cultural phenomenon. This use of figures of contrast helps standup comedians to create a polymodal communicative space by provoking an emotional response in the target audience and then engaging in a dialog with the actor, without requiring complex intellectual actions that can cause a delayed response.

The Effectiveness of Digital Comics based Multicultural to Improve Social Care Character of Elementary School Students

This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of multicultural-based digital comic media on the social care character of elementary school students. This study used a quantitative research approach with the type of Quasi Experiment. The trial involved 2 classes, namely IVA (control class) and IVB (experiment class) of Brajan State Elementary School, containing 20 students. The independent t-test shows a difference in social-caring character between students who use multicultural-based digital comic media during the learning process and those who do not use multicultural-based digital comic media, with a significance value (p) <0.05, which is 0.017. This study concludes that multicultural- based digital comic media is declared effective to be used to improve the social care character of grade IV elementary school students.

Великий Имитатор: Российская история от "Потемкинских деревень" до "Кубанских казаков"

SUMMARY: This essay is a contribution to the discussion forum "Mainstream Narratives of Soviet History and the Laughter of Surprise," framed as responses by literary scholars, historians, and political scientists to Sheila Fitzpatrick's essay "Soviet History as Black Comedy." Evgeny Dobrenko identifies socialist realism as a totalizing aesthetic practice that defined the essence of the Soviet system. According to Dobrenko, to an observer located outside this all-embracing cultural sphere, socialist realism was a constant source of "involuntary laughter." The comic effect of Stalinism and Sovietness in general was a result of their fundamentally imitative character.