What is the relationship between irony and other literary techniques, including but not limited to humor? How do authors utilize irony and humor in their texts? Are humor and irony to be considered a literary tool to disguise a personal or political agenda? Or are they simply a resource to entertain their readers?

This panel seeks presentations that analyze or investigate the role of irony, humor, and laughter in texts from early modern to contemporary examples by Italian writers. This panel will provide participants with an opportunity to discuss various new and important perspectives on the use of humor and irony in Italian literature. 

We seek papers exploring the manner in which writers convey humor and irony to their readers, to the literary community of their day, and to their society at large. Furthermore, we seek presentations that explore the purpose of humor and irony in such texts.

Possible areas of analysis include: the influence of culture and space on the production and representation of humor and irony, the language utilized to express it, the cultural metamorphosis of humor. 

Topics we seek to address include, but are not limited to:

humor and irony 

humor, irony and gender

humor, irony and politics

humor, irony and theater

humor, irony and censorship

humor, irony and visual arts

humor, irony and cinema

humor, irony and language

humor, irony and translation

Please submit a 250-word abstract and short bio by September 30, 2019 through the NeMLA site.

If you have questions about this session, please feel free to contact Luisanna Sardu (Manhattan College) luisanna.sardu@manhattan.edu or Matilde Fogliani at matilde.fogliani@gmail.com