Humor in Edgar Allan Poe's Works

The idea of considering humor in E. A. Poe's works popped up when the author of this text found herself laughing out loud while reading "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." The purpose of the present work is to argue that next to many others, Edgar Allan Poe's short stories have humorous aspects, as well. This field has not been well-searched by experts yet, this explains the need to explore it. After a few general notes made on humor and the way it was manifested in Poe's age, some of his tales are analyzed in greater detail. The analysis is grouped around some important topics that Poe's tales present. Through these 'content groups' the reader is given a chance to discover how Poe smuggled some of his grin into the mystery stories, hoaxes and tales dealing with society and its fate. The study also examines the writer's handling of comical elements in his tales about individuals and professions. Poe was not only a great storyteller; he was also brilliant when it came to language usage. In his tales humor is also expressed through linguistic means. This is discussed in the last part of the book, together with a few lines about the way Poe is present in 20th century humor.

Autorentext
Noémi Szabó, M.A.: Majored in English Language and Literature and Media Studies at Eötvös Loránd University (ELTE), Budapest. Special field of study: Contemporary American Literature.

Klappentext
The idea of considering humor in E. A. Poe's works popped up when the author of this text found herself laughing out loud while reading "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." The purpose of the present work is to argue that next to many others, Edgar Allan Poe's short stories have humorous aspects, as well. This field has not been well-searched by experts yet, this explains the need to explore it. After a few general notes made on humor and the way it was manifested in Poe's age, some of his tales are analyzed in greater detail. The analysis is grouped around some important topics that Poe's tales present. Through these 'content groups' the reader is given a chance to discover how Poe smuggled some of his grin into the mystery stories, hoaxes and tales dealing with society and its fate. The study also examines the writer's handling of comical elements in his tales about individuals and professions. Poe was not only a great storyteller; he was also brilliant when it came to language usage. In his tales humor is also expressed through linguistic means. This is discussed in the last part of the book, together with a few lines about the way Poe is present in 20th century humor.