Subject Area: English

This module presents a broad array of comedic fiction, drama and film, over the last 150 years. Introducing students to the fine gradations of form within the comic mode, from farce and nonsense to satire, absurdism and tragi-comedy, the module will situate its privileged genre within the different social and cultural millieux in which it has flourished since Jane Austen stopped writing. It is particularly concerned with the questions of comedic “conservatism” (whether the genre is overly occupied with the restoration of the stats quo); with the notion of presenting the “impossible”; with the violation of taboo and the exploration of amorality; and the connection between comedy and the “lower” classes. Texts have been selected to promote a broad and complex understanding, with a footing in contemporary cultural and theoretical frames.