HUMANISM OF BLACK HUMOR IN SHORT STORIES BY GEORGE SAUNDERS
Journal Title: Δόξα / Докса. Збірник наукових праць з філософії та філології - Year 2016, Vol 1, Issue
Abstract
A short story «The 400 pound CEO» by George Saunders is analyzed in the article. The paper argues that the author uses cruelty of black humor to make evident hypocrisy of contemporary society and to foster authentic values of humanism. In the definitions of that phenomenon researchers often mention an extreme degree of sincerity, straightforwardness and intention to reach the edge of the possible and permitted. Narrative structure of the story “The 400 pound CEO” contains all the basic elements of black humor semantic structure: depiction of explicit and latent violence, the axiological inversion and counter system. In addition, the text of the story embraces the components of the genres that are considered to be necessary for the black humor narration: satire, irony, grotesque, absurd, parody. This set of artistic techniques is used in the story to reveal the falsehood and hypocrisy prevailing in contemporary consumer society. The imagery presented in the story can be interpreted in the terms of Jean Baudrillard theory of consumerism and the simulacrum aspect of his theory is seen as the most efficient approach in this research. The text of the story abounds with the examples of simulacra. The firm engaged in slaughter of raccoons, called “Humane raccoons alternatives.” The firm’s clients are persuaded by two media means: visual images (brochures with glossy photographs) and false verbal constructions (stories about the happy life of raccoons in their natural habitat). The extremism of black humor discourse makes it possible for the writer to break through the multilayer network of simulacra in contemporary society and thus, coming back to simple forms of humanity. This can explain the seemingly paradoxical mixture of acidulous satire and sentimentality in the stories by George Saunders: black humor in his stories serves as the basis for black humor in his stories becomes the basis of humanism and compassion, empathy and humanism.
Authors and Affiliations
Aleksandr Lavrentev
Keywords
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