The
Anthology of Black Humor – Andre Breton, Editor (1940)
Andre Breton is listed as one of the
seminal figures in Surrealism, actually composing the first Surrealist
Manifesto. He was a poet and a writer
and involved in the avant-garde art world of his day.
With this anthology, Breton coined the
term “black humor” which is still used today to refer to any humor that makes
light of otherwise serious subject matter, much like gallows humor. It draws from cynicism, and skepticism to
find humor in things that normally are spoken of in reverential or fearful
tones.
This book consists of a collection of
pieces of literature, mostly French, with introductions by Breton. I guess something was lost in translation
because it was a boring, mind-numbing read.
I only finished about 1/5 of it and got so fed up, mostly because it was
not humorous in the least. I think that
in French the subtleties of the humor may be better served. Maybe the French
have a different word for “comedy” as opposed to “humor?” In ancient times, a story or play was either
a tragedy or a comedy, although “comedy” did not mean it was funny. It just means that it is not TRAGIC!
Either way I hated this book.
( To read a hate-filled review of another of Andre Breton's horrible, boring books click here: http://allography.com/2010/01/andre-breton-is-a-douchebagvisualizing-beauty/ )
( To read a hate-filled review of another of Andre Breton's horrible, boring books click here: http://allography.com/2010/01/andre-breton-is-a-douchebagvisualizing-beauty/ )
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