Every person has episodes in life when melancholic sadness, melancholy or depression rolls in, and at such moments the best savior is interesting book. Immersed in it, a person forgets about everything else, the problems of the real world fade into the background. A good book is Lifebuoy in the ocean of life's excitement, and an interesting and funny book is even more so, and if we paraphrase the words of Bernard Werber, we can say: “A book is like a sword, humor is like a shield.” Let's hit the melancholy with a good book and bad mood and protect yourself with humor from all life’s ups and downs!
A sense of humor is a very subjective concept, therefore all tops of the best, ratings and other comparative actions are obviously doomed to condemnation, because 100% of the same opinions about one work do not exist, much less about a funny book. The most objective thing in this case is time-tested, so below is a list of works from this category.
Play in verse
This work is literally filled with quotes by readers in every second column. “The Tale of Fedot the Archer, a Daring Young Man” was written in 1985 by a Russian author based on the famous children’s fairy tale “Go there - I don’t know where.” The play in verse instantly won the hearts of readers; its inimitable style in the spirit of a parody of a folk tale with a classic plot and an ancient style in a modern manner makes it unique and relevant at all times. This is one of the few books that, even in audio format, do not lose their sparkle and zest.
In 2008, a cartoon for adults was made based on this work, which is very accurately intertwined with Filatov’s idea and manner of presentation. The whole essence of interpersonal relationships, politics and moral values shown in “The Tale of Fedot the Archer, a Daring Young Man,” which will be just as modern, relevant, interesting and funny for decades to come.
The plot is quite simple and ordinary, as in all folk tales: an evil king, good fellow and a beauty. The Tsar, wanting to get Fedot’s beloved, gives him difficult tasks in order to drive him away from the world. But as you know, in fairy tales good always triumphs over evil.
"My Family and Other Animals" by Darrell Gerald
This is an autobiographical story telling about several years of the author's residence on the island of Corfu. The story is told from the perspective of a ten-year-old boy who would later become an outstanding naturalist and biologist. His large family, each member of which has his own “cockroaches in his head,” and their living together against the backdrop of these differences - this is the main plot.
Most members of large families will see themselves in this funny book: the most interesting thing is that the situations are ordinary, but the author’s presentation of the plot, dialogues and small parts such that you want to re-read it again and again, realizing that somewhere there are just as crazy and crazy families, and this makes yours no longer seem flawed and inadequate. The author very simply, skillfully and unobtrusively immerses the reader in the colorful world of the plant and animal kingdom, intertwining it all with stories about his relatives, flavoring it with an amazing sauce of humor and fun. And also “My Family and Other Animals” - people love animals and nature in general, it is very touching and sincere.
“Notes of the cat Shashlik”
An unusual creation by Alex Axler, in which the narration is told from the perspective of a cat with a strange name: his cynical view of what is happening is sometimes too harsh and subjective. After reading this book, many of your actions pet become more understandable and obvious, despite all the comedy of the situation, and the mood will certainly increase a hundredfold from Shashlyk’s caustic tirades. From the very first lines it becomes clear that the cat is still a piece of fruit, arrogant, ungrateful, but he is also a Cat! A divine being of the highest order. And in the process of reading, there will be a change in attitude towards him from indignation at frankly base actions to tenderness and touching several times.
Although some readers responded differently to Axler’s book: low-grade tavern humor bordering on vulgarity, propaganda of laziness and drunkenness in the image of a cat’s owner, absolutely not funny situations and a lack of morality. But not all works of writers need to be in the spirit of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky - sometimes light reading on a day off or during a vacation will give a person more than volumes of the great classics. This is again a subjective thing, so it is better to read and draw your own conclusion than to be limited by the opinions of others.
Brilliant works of Ilf and Petrov
“The Twelve Chairs” is a unique book. It belongs to those works that stand in the “eternal” column: each generation of readers finds in them a reflection of their time, despite the fact that the first book was written in 1927. The young charismatic adventurer Bender and his ward Kisa are looking for diamonds hidden in one of 12 chairs, their adventures on this wave are presented in such an amazing sauce of humor and satire that even the most cynical critic cannot resist.
Quotes from this work wander among the people, while not everyone knows their origin and authors: “The ice has broken, gentlemen”, “Don’t teach me how to live”, “Famous”, “How much is opium for the people”, “Or maybe you need more give the key to the apartment where the money is” and many other incredibly strong and meaningful phrases that are used all the time. The book is a must-read for everyone; it is like a powerful cleanser that cleanses the mind, washing away limitations and stereotypes.
"The Golden Calf" - a book by the same authors, is a continuation of the adventures of Ostap Bender, who is now competing with two more "sons of Lieutenant Schmidt" and is trying to seize other people's wealth by cunning and tricks. This novel is also full of famous catch phrases: “An idiot’s dream has come true,” “I will command the parade,” “I would take it in parts, but I need it right away.” The book “The Golden Calf” is simply filled with amazingly sharp words and remarks that are not immediately noticeable to an inexperienced reader.
"Everything is red"
Despite the fact that this work is most often classified as a detective story, it reads like an excellent ironic novel with elements of the grotesque. In the story, they are killed at a party. young man, who is trying to warn the hostess of the fun about something extremely important, naturally, does not have time, and she herself main character becomes the object of persecution and murder attempts, most often unsuccessful. The entire outline of the work is imbued with stunningly subtle humor, hilarious situations, interspersed with discoveries about the real essence of man.
The author of the novel does not consider his creation to be a masterpiece or worthy to stand on the same shelf as Gogol or Chekhov, it is rather homemade reading under a blanket on an autumn day - to cheer up, get rid of melancholy and laziness. The work is one of the funniest books of our time, despite the tragic plot.
Trilogy by Mikhail Uspensky
"The Adventures of Zhikhar" is a modern fantasy in the spirit folklore mixed with humor, witticisms and modern slang. The red-haired Zhikhar is friends with King Arthur himself (neither more nor less) and the Chinese Liu, with them he finds himself in various situations on which the book is based. A heap of extraordinary and frankly fabulous accents in the form of a sorcerer’s vehicle, flights to the moon, pagan Baba Yaga, Leshego and Vodyany mixed with the modern train of thoughts, words and actions of the main character gives rise to a peculiar mess, which only by the middle of the novel somehow calms down and shows the main point.
At the same time, it is useless to wait for subtle “British” humor - everything here is our way, in a simple way, shoulder-to-shoulder and backhand. Therefore, lovers of subtleties consider this trilogy to be low-grade garbage on the level of Dontsova.
But folk tales Few people compare them with the classics either, but they occupy an honorable place in every family and are rightfully considered the first teachers. Therefore, perhaps we shouldn’t demand much from modern fantasy fairy tales, allowing them to simply while away the evenings with readers, because any smile and laughter prolongs life, no matter from reading “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” by Gogol or “The Adventures of Zhikhar” by Mikhail Uspensky.
The most popular work by a Czech author
The first mention of the name of the author of this work immediately gives rise to one association - soldier Schweik. “The Adventures of the Good Soldier Schweik” by Jaroslav Hasek has long become a classic modern literature: the adventures of an unprepossessing little man in a filthy overcoat and worn-out boots, walking along a military road from one incident to another, but not losing his optimism and breadth of soul, will make even the most stern and experienced reader smile. Sharp satire that brings tears to tears, reminiscent of soldiers' tales around the fire with a drink, and the call to end all wars running through the entire novel make this novel worthy of respect and recognition. Great in its simplicity, accessible to any level of understanding, Hasek’s novel won millions of hearts around the world, and his talkative character became a symbol of ingenuousness and kind primitiveness.
The adventures of the good soldier Schweik begin with the fact that he was disqualified due to “poverty of mind,” but during the First World War he was again drafted into the army as an extra, or as they like to say now. On the way to the front line, the brave soldier is bothered by representatives of different strata of society, they twist him as they want, but he inexorably continues to move forward, towards obvious death.
Sarcasm seasoned with nostalgia and sadness
“Legends of Nevsky Prospekt” is a collection of stories telling about the life in the city of Leningrad of the 20th century of ordinary, unremarkable people: doctors, speculators, military men and even women lung behavior. The life and customs of people of that time are depicted in a sharp satirical form with a large dose of sarcasm, the mentality of Russia shines through in every story, you often get the feeling that the characters are familiar people: a neighbor or co-worker, a friend’s uncle or a brother’s wife. It is this realism of the characters that makes you experience the moments described in the book in a particularly vivid way; there is a feeling of bitter reality and the truthfulness of what is happening in the spirit of “I was there too.” After all, all the stories described in the book seem incredibly real.
The book was first published in 1993 and since then has gained Mikhail Weller enormous popularity among the Russian-speaking population. Laughing out loud is about “Legends of Nevsky Prospekt”, so it is ideal for long winter evenings and pleasant companies. For those who cannot laugh at themselves, the book is contraindicated: it will cause nothing but disgust for the world and people.
Adams' fantasy novel
According to the BBC, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is ranked fourth on the list of most popular books, and the creator is considered one of the best science fiction writers of our time. The book consists of several parts, the first of which was written in 1979. In the first three months, 250 thousand copies were sold, four more parts of the book followed, and in 2005 the novel was filmed. This is truly a sensation in the world of science fiction!
The plot of the novel "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" is based on the intergalactic travels of the loser Arthur Dent, who suddenly learns that planet Earth is about to be destroyed by hostile alien creatures, and his friend, whom he has known for many years, is also an alien. A moment before the destruction of the Earth, he and his friend find themselves on a starship.
If you start reading the novel, it will initially seem that absurdity is built on absurdity, gives rise to absurdity on the verge of madness and a complete lack of logic, the world in the novel seems so strange, but painfully real, and against the backdrop of general madness, deep philosophical thoughts about the Cosmos, about its habitability: other races and life forms. Many of the funny moments in the book cannot be understood without some knowledge of physics, so it makes sense to keep a reference book handy. And all these factors are mixed with jokes and comic situations to the point of stomach cramps and homeric laughter.
Inimitable English humor
The English writer Pelham Wodehouse created a whole series of comedic novels and short stories, Jeeves and Wooster, about the adventures of an English aristocrat, a confirmed bachelor, and his ubiquitous valet. The first story was written back in 1916, and periodically the story was replenished with stories until 1974. The novels inspired a British TV series starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, which still serves as an example of good humorous filmmaking.
The stories are based on funny and embarrassing situations, mainly with women trying to marry a young aristocrat: the narrow-minded, but brilliantly brought up Wooster gets into them, from which he is rescued by the resourceful valet Jeeves. For example, in the novel “That Inimitable Jeeves” the plot is woven best friend Wooster - Bertie, who is too greedy for women: he decides to marry a bar waitress, bypassing the opinion of his aristocratic relatives, against this background, Bertie Wooster's attempts to get rid of annoying attempts to marry himself to another girl seem even more ridiculous. As always, the amazingly erudite Jeeves comes to the rescue, deftly resolving the situation one by one.
Exquisite Slim English humor combined with unobtrusiveness and delicacy, without deep philosophical and rhetorical heaps, does credit to the author, whose books are rightfully considered one of the funniest books in British literature.
Finally
The ones listed above are not all the most funny books, which are worth reading, but just the subjective opinion of the author. There is also a huge list of works worthy of attention reader, but with more diverse taste preferences: since those who prefer the novels of Olga Gromyko are unlikely to be interested in the zest of humor of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, and lovers of “How to Live with a Neurotic Dog” or the works of Slava Se will not always delve into the subtle flair of refined irony in “ Heart of a Dog"and the works of Viktor Pelevin (who is also a humorist!).
Everyone’s sense of humor, like their sense of tact, is subjective, and that’s why different things make people laugh, sometimes completely opposite and incomprehensible to others. Therefore, we will not impose thoughts, but will allow the reader to make a personal choice. And most importantly: smile, gentlemen, smile!
Do we ever wonder how the author of a satirical story, humorous story or feuilleton manages to evoke laughter or at least an ironic smile in the reader? “Well,” we will say, “that’s why he is a writer, this is the secret of his talent.” But every person must have the secret of a smart joke and laughter. Let's remember what an awkward feeling a person who doesn't understand jokes or makes rude, vulgar jokes causes in a company. And how good it is sometimes to amuse your comrades with a witticism, how necessary it is sometimes to ridicule a slacker, a liar, a sycophant with a sarcastic word!
We can and should learn to joke and make fun of what interferes in our lives. Of course, for this, first of all, you need to have a sense of humor, observation, and the ability to see shortcomings.
This is how Ozhegov’s Explanatory Dictionary interprets the meaning of funny:
Humor – 1. Understanding of the comic, the ability to see and show a funny, condescending - mocking attitude towards something. Sense of humor. Talk about something with humor. 2. In art: an image of something in a funny, comic form. Humor and satire. Humor section in a newspaper. 3. Mocking and playful speech. Subtle humor.
Satire – 1. Piece of art, sharply and mercilessly denouncing negative phenomena. 2. Accusatory, scourging ridicule.
Laughter – 1. Short characteristic vocal sounds expressing fun, joy, pleasure, as well as ridicule, gloating and other feelings. Laughter through tears (sad laughter). Roll with laughter (laugh). 2. Something funny, worthy of ridicule.
Joke - 1. Something that is said or done seriously, for the sake of entertainment, fun; words that are not trustworthy. 2. A short comic play. 3. Expression of disapproval, doubt, surprise.
Irony is a subtle, hidden mockery.
So, laughter can be cheerful, kind, and then we call it humorous. Humorous works include the well-known poems by S. V. Mikhalkov about Uncle Styopa. We laugh at how Uncle Styopa “was looking for the greatest shoes on the market”, “looking for trousers of the greatest width.” It’s funny to us, for example, when N.V. Gogol’s Taras Bulba begins to “fight with his fists” with his sons who have just returned home after a long separation, that is, at a moment that, according to our ideas, should be solemn and touching.
And sometimes there is evil, angry, satirical laughter. He calls people to protest, awakens contempt for a character or phenomenon. satirical work a thoughtful reader always evokes not only laughter, but also a sad feeling, because the satirical writer exposes phenomena that interfere with people’s happiness. These are the fables of Krylov, the fairy tales of Saltykov-Shchedrin, the stories of Zoshchenko.
Some joke - some truth
Every joke, like the truth, has a difficult fate. Although the truth is respected, many do not like it. And everyone loves a joke, although they don’t have much respect for it. This is where love and respect come together, which humorous and satirical literature. A joke is the darling of society and is carried on easily and naturally, but the truth is like an elephant in a china shop: wherever you turn, something flies everywhere. That's why she often appears accompanied by a joke.
It would seem like a fairy tale, a joke, but what truth lies behind it! For example, in fairy tales Saltykova-Shchedrin truth and joke exist, as it were, separately from each other: the truth recedes into the background, into the subtext, and the joke remains a full-fledged mistress in the text.
This is mathematics: we write a joke, but the truth is in our minds.
And in the stories of the mature Chekhov, the joke dissolves in the truth and becomes almost unnoticeable. Let's try to laugh at the stories “Vanka” or “Toska”. If we succeed, it’s bad!
“Brevity is the sister of talent” (A. P. Chekhov.)
The peculiarity of a humorous story is that it is a small work, telling about one event with a small number of characters.
So, a humorous story should, first of all, be short and concise. These are the works and sketches of A.P. Chekhov. Let's try to find out what are the features of the style of early Chekhov - Antoshi Chekhonte, The Man Without a Spleen?.
At the time of Chekhov's creative debut, according to the conditions of humorous magazines, the story should not exceed one hundred lines. Fulfilling these requirements, Chekhov learned to write briefly. “Brevity is the sister of talent” is one of the writer’s favorite phrases. Short stories were very capacious in content. This was achieved by a bright title; meaningful names and last names; a plot that was based on an unusual situation or event; dynamic development of action; expressive detail; scenic dialogue; simple, clear speech of the author.
Let's remember the story "The Horse's Name". Why do we find it funny every time we listen to or read it? What makes a work funny?
Firstly, the plot is ridiculous: a whole family is busy searching for the “horse name” of an official who knows how to charm a toothache. Secondly, it's funny because educated person so superstitious that he is ready to believe in conspiracies, that you can cure a tooth by telegraph. Thirdly, the ways in which the retired general is trying to calm the pain are ridiculous: vodka, cognac, tobacco soot, turpentine, iodine. Fourthly, ambiguous phrases: “Now he only feeds on his teeth”, “He lives not with his wife, but a German woman” and others - make you smile. Fifthly, the “horse” names themselves are funny: Zherebtsov, Zherebchikov, Loshadkin, Kobylin, Kobylitsyn, Kobylyatnikov, Kobylkin, Loshadevich And finally, the denouement of the story is funny: the simple surname Ovsov turned out to be “horse”. It’s also funny that efforts to find the name were in vain: “the doctor came and pulled out the bad tooth.” Chekhov's laughter is good-natured, cheerful, he achieved a good laugh through brevity and laconism of presentation.
An artistic detail that carries a huge semantic load
Chekhov is rightfully considered a master of short humorous works. IN little story extensive detailed descriptions, long monologues. That is why artistic detail comes to the fore in Chekhov's works. An artistic detail is one of the means of creating an artistic image, which helps to present the picture, object or character depicted by the author in a unique individuality. A detail can reproduce the appearance features, features of clothing, furnishings, nuances of the hero’s experiences or actions.
Let's consider the role of artistic detail in Chekhov's story "Chameleon". It's about about how a police supervisor, considering the case of a puppy that bit a jewelry maker, changes his opinion several times about the outcome of the case. Moreover, his opinion directly depends on who owns the dog - a rich general or a poor man. Only after hearing the names of the characters can we imagine the heroes of the story. Policeman Ochumelov, Master Khryukin, policeman Eldyrin - the names correspond to the characters and appearance of the characters. The title "Chameleon" also conveys the main idea of the story. Ochumelov’s opinion changes as quickly and often depending on circumstances, as a chameleon lizard changes its skin color, corresponding to natural conditions. It is thanks to Chekhov’s masterful use of artistic details in his works that the writer’s work is understandable and accessible to every person.
Chekhov's skill lies in the fact that he knew how to select material, saturate small piece capacious content, highlight a significant detail that is important for characterizing a character or object. Precise and succinct artistic detail, created by the creative imagination of the author, guides the imagination of the reader. Chekhov gave details great importance, believed that it “stimulates the reader’s independent critical thought,” which is why we still read the short and witty stories of this brilliant writer today.
A.P. Chekhov greatly valued a sense of humor and those who quickly caught a joke. “Yes, sir, this is the surest sign: a person doesn’t understand a joke - good luck! - the comedian used to say. From the memoirs of K.I. Chukovsky about Chekhov, we know that the comedian loved to work with people, but most of all he loved to have fun, be mischievous, and laugh with them. “The laughter was not at all causeless, because Chekhov was its cause.”
Pig under the oak tree
I. A. Krylov in his fables also talks about comic situations and comic characters, but the nature of laughter is different. Krylov's fables are allegorical: people and their actions are hidden under the masks of animals. The fable is written in free verse, it contains a moral - a short and clear conclusion from the lesson contained in it. Experience, consciousness and moral ideals our people, features of national character. This was expressed not only in the original interpretation of traditional plots, but above all in the language in which the fables were written. In the language of Krylov's fables, living folk speech clearly manifested itself. Each class in his works has its own language: rude in the Wolf, submissive in the Lamb ("The Wolf and the Lamb"), boastful speech in the Hare ("Hare on the Hunt"), thoughtful reasoning of the stupid Rooster ("Rooster and the Seed of Pearls"), swaggering the Geese’s speech about their ancestors (“Geese”), the Pig’s stupidly self-satisfied speech (“Pig under the Oak”).
Krylov widely and freely introduced folk vocabulary into his fables: snout, man, dung, fool, beast, booby. What feeling does the hero of the familiar fable “The Pig under the Oak” evoke in us, readers? By what means does the fabulist achieve rejection of the Pig, for example in this passage?
Pig under an ancient oak tree
I ate my fill of acorns, to my fullest,
Having eaten, I slept under it,
Then, having cleared her eyes, she stood up
And she began to undermine the roots of the oak tree with her snout.
Of course you will say that there are none good feelings the pig does not call - it is gluttonous, nasty, stupid. The author achieved a similar effect by drawing the image of the Pig with the help of rude, colloquial words and expressions: he ate to his fill, his eyes were cut by his snout. The pig is shown in actions, the last of which is not only absurd and meaningless, but also harmful - “and began to undermine the roots of the oak tree.”
Let us recall another fable by Krylov, “The Donkey and the Nightingale.” By what means does the fabulist create the image of a stupid, narcissistic judge? Let's answer this question using an example passage:
The donkey saw the nightingale
And he says to him: “Listen, buddy!
You, they say, are a great master of singing:
I would really like
Judge for yourself, having heard your singing,
How great is your skill?
The choice of a donkey as a judge rather than another animal is in itself absurd: a donkey is a symbol of stupidity, stubbornness, and ignorance. In addition, the cry of this animal is the most anti-musical in nature, so you can immediately guess that it is impossible for a donkey to appreciate the song of a nightingale. The arrogance and narcissism of this character are shown in the manner of speaking: the familiar address “buddy”, the combination of incompatible words “great master” - give the whole combination a disdainful connotation. Colloquial The fable contributes to the fact that it can be presented as a small comedy. The comedy of the situation is often complemented by the comedy of language.
Let's talk about some more features of Krylov's fables. An indispensable condition of a fable is that the action is emphasized by frequent verbal rhymes. Krylov’s rhyme carries a semantic load. In this regard, consider the fable “Two Barrels”. The beginning is already funny: “Two Barrels were traveling, one with wine, the other Empty.” Here the rhyme connects precisely those words that define the subject matter of the fable. The story presents us with a fantastic picture: two barrels are driving through the city by themselves, one smoothly, the other rushing and rattling. If we accept the conventionality of the situation, then everything looks quite natural: a column of dust, a passerby huddles to the side. But the second part of the fable directly speaks of people who “scream about their own affairs.” Then the moral is clearly formulated: “He who does business in truth is often silent in words.” And further: “ great person. He thinks his strong thoughts - Without noise.” Returning to the beginning of the story, we comprehend it on a different level. Barrels turn out to be conventional objects denoting human qualities. But this allegorical statement contains an additional metaphorical element, which we realize after reading the entire fable. The metaphorical meaning of an empty barrel in this context is interpreted in relation to an empty person, a talker. The whole fable is built on similar comparisons.
So, the images of animals, which are sometimes depicted in Russian costumes in illustrations, carry a satirical typification of the features of the Russian national character. Krylov accurately expressed the people's belief in good and evil. And the people willingly accepted as their own dozens of Krylov’s humorous and satirical poems and “moral teachings,” including them in proverbs during the fabulist’s lifetime: “Ay, Moska! She knows that she is strong, That she barks at the elephant”, “At least they laugh at braggarts, but often they get shares in the division”, “They bark and leave”, “And Vaska listens and eats”, “I didn’t even notice the elephant”, “ A helpful fool is more dangerous than an enemy.” Even the names of fables became proverbs, for example: “Trishkin’s caftan,”
"Demyanov's ear", "Elephant and Moska".
Comic speech means
In addition to an interesting humorous plot and the character’s vivid speech, the writer needs to remember about the speech means of the comic. There are special words and expressions that add brightness and emotionality to speech, and serve as an expression of the author’s attitude towards what is being depicted. They are called speech means of comic or speech means of humor. Firstly, this is a monologue and dialogue. A monologue is an extended statement by one character. Dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters. To this it should be added that there is a so-called “ internal monologue”, when the author seems to be talking to himself. For example: “This had to happen! Dunno had never found himself in such a situation. This was the first time." "Wow! Was I right? Conversational speech is, first of all, oral, unprepared, free speech. This is how we talk to friends and parents. That's what the heroes say humorous stories. They do not “talk”, but “chat”, do not shout, but “yell”, and often make some speech errors. But the author needs to accurately reproduce this free, colloquial speech so that we “believe” him.
Secondly, it is imperative to name expressively colored words as a means of creating a humorous work - both a fable and a story. They make speech bright, interesting, and most importantly, spontaneous. Speech in this case, of course, is called expressive. These could be particles: Wow! Yah! Oh, what is this?; words and expressions: The cat jumped - and onto the closet; Try to get it out of the closet! What could we do!
Thirdly, brightness and imagery of speech are imparted not only by expressively colored words, but also by comparisons. Comparison is a technique based on comparing one phenomenon or object with another. When we play, we also compare our friends with someone or something. For example: “Petka puffs like a steam locomotive”; “The bow on Button’s head looked like a butterfly. It seemed like she was about to fly away,” “They, like donkeys, did not want to give way to each other.” And finally, this is hyperbolization as one of the speech means of the comic. Hyperbolization is “exaggeration,” that is, “exceeding the usual, habitual.” She often makes me smile: “I’m going to die of laughter” is an exaggeration. We often say: “Fear has big eyes.” The eyes of laughter are just as big.
Let’s turn to V. Dragunsky’s story “The Enchanted Letter” and try to determine what features of a humorous story the author implements in his work. This story can be called funny, since the boys’ misunderstanding of each other and everyone’s confidence in their own rightness makes you smile. The comic effect is created due to the fact that the guys pronounce the word shishki incorrectly. The kids are still small, and they don’t know how to pronounce all the letters correctly. This happens because each of them “does not hear himself from the outside” and considers his “pronunciation” to be correct.
Language and humor are so closely related
So, we are convinced that satirists and humorists have their own completely precise and specific speech means and techniques. Let's look at some of them. Let's compare the words warrior and warrior, soul and little soul. It is quite obvious that the suffixes -yak - and -onk - give these words a disdainful, mocking connotation, causing an ironic smile in relation to what they mean: Eh, you warrior! Or a petty, cowardly soul! Here are some more suffixes of this kind: - ishk - (little people, passions), - nya (squabbling, cooking), - shchin-a (assault), - il-a (thug, boss), - yag-a (hustler, dude ) and etc.
There are also prefixes that, under certain conditions, give an ironic or humorous tone to speech: raz - (racs -): beautiful (in A. Gaidar’s story “Chuk and Gek” the mother calls the troubled boys her beautiful sons), cheerful (too, excessively cheerful and therefore cheeky), for example: cheerful company, etc.; by -+ suffix – willow - (-ыва -): to pee, to read (jokingly - ironically about a frivolous attitude towards writing or reading), etc.; pre -: very much (for example, ironically: very grateful to you), etc.
A large group of words with an ironic or humorous connotation is formed by compounding. They are created alive folk speech: mouther (onlooker or gaper), scoffer (mocker), penny-pincher (stingy, petty person), windbag, chatterbox (chatterbox), etc. There are many such words in colloquial literary book speech: pompous (pompous), low-grade (low quality ), greyhound (prolific, but poor writer), sentimental (sentimental, overly sensitive), newly minted, newly minted (recently, just created, appeared), etc.
There are also lexical means. Let us recall the characterization of Igor from A. Rybakov’s story “The Adventures of Krosh”: “Igor works in an office, rubs shoulders with the authorities, likes to hang around among the elders.” Let's try to replace the highlighted words (colloquial and colloquial) with neutral, general literary ones: “Igor is often near his superiors, he likes to be among the elders.” As we can see, the dismissive, mocking tone of the characterization has disappeared. This means that irony is achieved in these phrases by the selection of colloquial and colloquial words that aptly characterize Igor as a sycophant looking for an easy life.
So, one of the means for imparting irony and humor to speech is accurate and figurative colloquial and colloquial words-synonyms of neutral words: instead of speaking, rant (to rant or express oneself in a pompous, pompous manner); instead of drawing - painting (about inept, mediocre drawing); instead of a picture - a daub (about a bad picture); instead of writing, scribble, scribble (screwed a slander, sprinkled doggerel, i.e. bad poems); place for a like-minded person - singing along (about someone who dutifully repeats other people’s words); instead of an assistant - an accomplice (usually in an unseemly matter, in a crime). Some words of this kind (for example, assistant) were originally taken from the vernacular (where posobit means “to help”), and then entered the general literary language, firmly establishing a negative connotation.
To give speech an ironic or humorous tone, archaisms are also used, most often from the Old Church Slavonic language. For example: instead of sitting, sitting; instead of wanting - deigning; instead of saying, he spoke; instead you are your mercy; instead of coming, appearing - welcome; instead of inventing - inventing; instead of through the fault of someone - by grace.
Some words are also used for the same purpose. foreign origin opus (jokingly - ironically about an unsuccessful, poor-quality work), chimera (a pipe dream, a strange dream, an unrealizable fantasy), sentiment (inappropriate, excessive sensitivity), maxim (ironically about thoughts with a claim to wisdom), battle (jokingly about a fight, quarrel) , fanfaron (braggart, boaster).
To give a statement a touch of irony and ridicule, the figurative meaning of words and the technique of metaphorization are widely used. Thus, the location of the enemy is called a lair (in literally lair - the dwelling of the beast); a group of criminal elements - a pack (cf.: pack of dogs); decomposed, antisocial elements - scum (in the literal sense - the remains of liquid at the bottom along with sediment); about someone who has become dissolute, has lost all restraint, they say he has become loose (literally, he has taken off his belt); about something that has reached the extreme limits of self-will, arbitrariness - unbridled (unbridled initially - free the horse from the bridle, then give full rein to something).
One of the most common subjects of irony and humor is the juxtaposition of disparate words, which reveal a discrepancy between form and content. This is what is achieved comic effect. Such ironic expressions as pearls of illiteracy, certified philosopher and others are based on such a comparison.
An important means of humor and irony is the use of phraseological expressions of a humorous and ironic nature in speech. Many of them are nothing more than frozen expressions constructed using the means listed above, as well as apt comparisons and hyperboles. Here are some humorous phraseological units: flies are dying, flies are dying (about unbearable boredom caused by something), a week without a year (very recently), on their own (that is, on foot), your money was crying (about a missing debt, wasted money) , not everyone is at home (out of their minds), the nose is not mature (too early to do anything), history is silent about this (something remains unknown, they prefer not to talk about something), etc. Phraseologisms of an ironic nature can attributed: in person (oneself, personally), from the height of one’s greatness (with excessive importance, with disdain for others), hide in the bushes (cowardly, evade something), filkin’s letter (illiterate or invalid document), calf delight (too violent delight), calf tenderness (excessive or inappropriate expression of tenderness).
Weapons of laughter M. M. Zoshchenko
M. M. Zoshchenko is a writer not only of a comic style, but also of comic situations. Not only his language is comical, but also the place where the story of the next story unfolded: a wake, a communal apartment, a hospital - everything is so familiar, personal, everyday familiar. And the story itself: a fight in a communal apartment over a hedgehog in short supply, a row at a wake over a broken glass.
Some of Zoshchenkov’s phrases remained in Russian literature as aphorisms: “as if the atmosphere suddenly smelled on me”, “they will rob me like a stick and throw me in for their dear ones, even if they are their own relatives”, “the second lieutenant is wow, but a bastard”, “he is disturbing the riots” . Zoshchenko, while writing his stories, chuckled himself. So much so that later, when I read stories to my friends, I never laughed. He sat gloomy, gloomy, as if not understanding what there was to laugh about. Having laughed while working on the story, he later perceived it with melancholy and sadness. I perceived it as the other side of the coin. If you listen carefully to his laughter, it is not difficult to discern that the carefree and humorous notes are only a background for the notes of pain and bitterness.
Zoshchenko's hero is an ordinary man, a man with poor morals and a primitive outlook on life. This man in the street personified an entire human layer of the Russia of that time. The writer did not ridicule the man himself, but the philistine traits in him.
Let's look at some of the writer's works. The story “Case History” begins like this: “Frankly speaking, I prefer to be sick at home. Of course, there are no words, in the hospital, perhaps, it is brighter and more cultured. And the calorie content of their food may be more adequate. But, as they say, even straw can be eaten at home.” A patient diagnosed with typhoid fever is brought to the hospital, and the first thing he sees in the room for registering new arrivals is a huge poster on the wall: “Issuing corpses from 3 to 4.” Having barely recovered from the shock, the hero tells the paramedic that “patients have no interest in reading this.” In response, he hears: “If you get better, which is unlikely, then criticize, otherwise we will really give you away in three to four in the form of what is written here, then you will know.” Then the nurse takes him to the bathtub where he already some old woman is bathing.
It would seem that the nurse should apologize and postpone the “bathing” procedure for a while. But she was used to seeing not people, but patients in front of her. Why stand on ceremony with patients? She calmly invites him to get into the bath and not pay attention to the old woman: “She has a high temperature and is not reacting to anything. So take off your clothes without embarrassment." The patient's trials do not end there. First, he is given a robe that is not his size. Then, a few days later, having already begun to recover, he falls ill with whooping cough. The same nurse informs him: “You probably carelessly ate from a device on which a child with whooping cough ate.” When the hero finally recovers, he never manages to escape from the hospital walls, because they forgot to discharge him, then “someone didn’t come, and it was impossible to note,” then the entire staff is busy organizing the movement of the wives of the sick. At home, the final test awaits him: his wife tells how a week ago she received a notice from the hospital demanding: “Upon receipt of this, immediately come for your husband’s body.”
“History of a Case” is one of those stories by Zoshchenko in which the depiction of rudeness, extreme disrespect for a person, and spiritual callousness is taken to the limit. Together with the author, we laugh merrily, and then we feel sad. This is called “laughter through tears.”
A reminder for someone starting to write a humorous story.
In order to determine how a humorous story differs from a regular story, we turn to the “Instructions for Beginners to Write a Humorous Story.”
First of all, think about the plot of your story;
Do not forget that the basis of a humorous story is a comic situation or a funny misunderstanding (they are created due to the appearance of participants in events unexpected for the hero of the story, due to an unexpected turn of events, due to an unexpected outcome, the nature of the events that took place).
Remember that the title is of great importance in the story: the title is the key to solving the plot; the title can express the author's attitude;
Use in a story language means creating humor: interesting dialogues, funny names (nicknames), surnames of characters, author's humorous assessments;
The situation of the game is the next feature of a humorous story at the plot level. Play is always laughter and a cheerful mood. Play is always putting on some kind of mask, ascribing to yourself someone else's role. Daniil Kharms says this beautifully in his poem “The Game.”
The presence of funny characters is another feature of a humorous story at the plot level. The characters presented in the story always evoke a kind smile or grin.
For example, in the story “Chicken Soup” by V. Dragunsky, by chance, a boy and his dad are forced to cook food, that is, to do work that they have never done. In N. Nosov’s story “Knock-Knock-Knock”, the unexpected appearance of a crow, which was mistaken for a robber, led to the “creation of a protective structure” in order to avoid a collision with the robber. In the story by V. Dragunsky “The Glory of Ivan Kozlovsky” main character believes that good singing- it's loud. “I sang well, probably even heard on the other street.”
Conclusion
M. Twain wrote that humorous stories require “the same ability to see, analyze, understand, which is necessary for the authors of serious books.”
So, we think that we have proven that we can learn to make fun of what interferes with our lives. Of course, for this, first of all, you need to have a sense of humor, observation, and the ability to see shortcomings.
“Brevity is the sister of talent” is one of the writer’s favorite phrases. The short stories were very capacious in content. This was achieved by a bright title; meaningful first and last names; a plot that was based on an unusual situation or event; dynamic development of action; expressive detail; scenic dialogue; simple, clear speech of the author.
Thus, summing up the analysis of Krylov’s fables, we can conclude: a prerequisite for the funny in them is a comic situation, which is based on an unexpected twist in the plot, comic hero, inconsistency of something, a caricature showing some character trait of a character or a situation based on allegory, hyperbole, metaphor, personification, comparison.
In “Instructions for Beginners to Write a Humorous Story,” we tried to highlight the main artistic techniques creating a humorous story. Using this “Memo” and the “Sun Diagram”, the children composed stories. Of course, it is impossible to include all the funny details, the rays of the “cheerful sun” in one work. In order for the story to be funny and humorous, you need training, as in any business, you need to hone your skills. We tried to show how this is done using the examples of the works of satirical writers and humorous writers.
We wish our peers not to stop there - to write - to write funny, with humor, with a dose of irony, and even satire. And then, perhaps, our Saltykov-Shchedrins, Chekhovs, Zoshchenkos, Zhvanetskys will appear in our lives and literature
Kir Bulychev How to become a science fiction writer...I try never to reflect my own memories or experiences in prose. It’s awkward...I belong to that broad category of Russian citizens whose families were created by the revolution, and whose genealogy was destroyed. In the normal course of events, my parents would not have been able to meet, but I would have known the biographies of my grandparents, aunts and uncles... our reality has always been more fantastic than fiction!... The distrust of communists towards communists... was a common phenomenon... .Life tried me on several times, discussing who it would make me. In the ninth and tenth grades, I had no doubt that I would go to a geological exploration institute and become a paleontologist. I didn't even get an education to my liking. I was going to geological exploration, but entered translation. In the spring of the tenth grade, a man from the district Komsomol committee came to our school. We were gathered, and a man from the district committee explained that Comrade Stalin had ordered the organization of a special faculty for future intelligence officers. But it is called modestly: the Faculty of Translation of Inyaz.... The first books that I read contained a fantastic element. Today I know that they are fantastic. I didn’t even suspect it then. "Doctor Aibolit" is a science-fiction thriller, "Domino" by Setton-Thompson is a fantasy about the life of animals. And then mom brought “The Adventures of Karik and Valya.” Somewhere in the fifth or sixth grade I was incredibly lucky. My introduction to science fiction has gone well with quick steps. Mom found the Red Cross library on Arbat Square, which for some reason was not captured by censorship purges recent years. ..where did you end up? book Shop, which sold books that aroused physiological trepidation in me....I could not write realistic prose. It didn't work out I was quite loyal Soviet man, and when it was necessary to write a report on a conversation or a secret report for a boss who was in an alcoholic coma, I dutifully did it. But I was not ready for a new life and new responsibilities. I never joined the party and never shaved my beard. I did not join the Writers' Union, because I considered it indecent to be a member of an organization whose ideals, in particular the method of socialist realism and party literature, I did not accept. ..Not only did I not want to join the party, but also my heroes living in the future did not know about this party. I did not participate in campaigns, seminars or battles, I did not vote or expel. But it was impossible to expel me from anywhere. We thought that our Soviet reader was the smartest, most prudent and intelligent in the world. It turned out that post-Soviet man is a creature that is slightly ahead of Neanderthal man in development, and only wants to read “cool” thrillers. You can still earn more from “cool” literature, but I have a feeling that the pendulum of public taste, which swung sharply towards mass culture, has now swung back. In Russia, literature has always played big role than in Europe, because in Europe, it was a personal matter and occupation of the writer, and in Russia - an act of heroism or meanness, a challenge to the Empire or support for the regime. I don't believe that beauty will save the world, or in the transformative role of art and literature. And yet literature can make a certain contribution to the salvation of humanity. Let it be small. But we don’t know when, what and how much we will need. Warn, reassure, set an example...
