Every book ultimately stands on its own merits, regardless of whether or not it is supposed to be funny. Humorous stories can fall into distinct genres alongside the comedy category, which adds to the interest, but the strength of the writing underpinning the humour determines whether or not a reader keeps reading.
This applies to all books regardless of when they were written. The fluid understanding of what constitutes humour has seen Cervantes’ Don Quixote move from the category of comic novel to tragedy to central position in the literary canon. Jerome K. Jerome intended Three Men in a Boat to be a travel guide and it ended up a humorous form of semi-autobiography. Is Sue Townsend’s The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 13 ¾ a teen novel or is it for adults? Some readers cannot easily associate some things, such as wicca, with humour but Kerry Greenwood integrates it into her Earthly Delights series. The above books all have humorous elements that move the stories along.
Don Quixote, or The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha, by Miguel de Cervantes is a Spanish novel published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, with Part 1 mostly farce and Part 2 more philosophical. It is generally considered to be the first modern novel and has influenced generations of writers.
Don Quixote and the other main characters of the novel have become well-known literary figures. The story follows the adventures of a country gentleman who is so absorbed in novels of chivalry and romance that he comes to believe them and begins to act them out. Calling himself Don Quixote de la Mancha he launches himself into the world, enlisting a local farmer as his squire Sancho Panza and designating his old horse as his trusty steed Rosinante. Requiring a ladylove for his deeds of chivalry he nominates a peasant girl, naming her Dulcinea del Toboso.
Imagining that he is a knight-errant, Don Quixote has a series of adventures, one of which is his misguided attack on some windmills that he believed to be wicked giants in disguise. Self-deception is a major theme of Don Quixote that is perhaps best known for the idea of tilting at windmills. So influential was the novel, the word ‘quixotic’ has been added to the English language.
Jerome K. Jeromealso planned to write with reference to an established genre and said that he had originally intended to write a travel and local history guide, not a comic story. But in narrating a two-week boating trip down the Thames, his Three Men in a Boat took on a life of its own.
Although the reception of the book by critics was mixed, the general public liked it and it became one of the most popular books of the late 19th century. its influence extended to contributing towards the Thames becoming a tourist attraction, with 20th century film and television adaptations further increasing its fame.
Written in the form of a diary, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 13 ¾ by Sue Townsend became a best seller in the 1980s. The main character Adrian Mole writes of the difficulties faced by an average teenager, including dysfunctional parents, his dog, dealing with spots, his girlfriend Pandora, and problems with the school bully. His belief that he is an unrecognised intellectual is a central motif of the story.
As an unreliable narrator, Mole’s viewpoint and misconceptions form much of the comedy, making the book accessible to both adults and adolescents. Real-life people of the time, including Prince Charles, Lady Diana and Margaret Thatcher, contribute to the storyline and help to create the atmosphere of the 80s that permeates the book. Evolving from two short stories and a radio play, the success of the book led Townsend to write a series in which Adrian progressively grows older, ending up middle-aged in the last book of the series.
Also writing a series built on a strong contemporary setting, Kerry Greenwood’s Earthly Delights is the first book in her series of the same name. Falling into the genre of light detective fiction, the book’s humour takes a leading role through the approach of its narrator Corinna, investigator and owner of the Earthly Delights bakery. Set in modern-day Melbourne, the themes include romance, wiccans and goths, and food (including recipes at the back of the book).
Originating in the painting The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch, the title of the book immediately alerts the potential reader to the possibility of unusual happenings and things not being as they seem. But with Corinna indisputably grounded in reality, the book combines humour with its fantasy and underworld elements, and everything comes out right in the end.
Allowing for personal taste in written humour, the writing of the comedy that forms an integral part of these books keeps the readers reading.
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Authors
Miguel de Cervantes, Jerome K. Jerome, Sue Townsend, Kerry Greenwood
Titles
Don Quixoteby Miguel de Cervantes, Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 13 ¾ by Sue Townsend, Earthly Delights by Kerry Greenwood, Earthly Delights series by Kerry Greenwood