Critical Essays on Laughter in War
War is hell but can also be funny, whether as a safety valve from pressure or catharsis after tragedy, as subversion, as efforts to build and maintain morale, or as exercises in nostalgia. Cinema early discovered the comedy inherent to conflict including the immensely successful 1920 film Alf’s Button, made just after and set during the First World War and notable as being popular despite (or because of) making comedy about the recent war. Comedy about war has since proliferated and writing and themes continue to respond to and adapt themselves to changing global and political circumstances including comedy responding to the Global War on Terror.
Individual works, creators and indeed wars have received scholarly attention with for example much attention directed to works acclaimed as among the greatest works of popular culture from Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator (1940) to the Korean-war set/Vietnam-war era comedy M*A*S*H. Entire conflicts and theatres of war have received scholarly interpretation including cultural responses to the First World War which have sought ideologies and concepts to interpret war through culture.
Important works have appeared on individual films, television comedies or genres including the edited collection on the First World War Humor, Entertainment, and Popular Culture during World War I (Palgrave, 2015) and study of comedy and Nazism in Comedy and the Politics of Representation, as well works such as Cultural Concepts, Contexts and Controversies (Palgrave 2016).
However more remains to be said on conflict across time and place and this collection is intended as a timely and cohesive collection organised around the social, political, ideological aspects of humour about and in war.
The proposed volume is intended to be scholarly but accessible in tone and approach.
Some examples of genres and productions are indicated below. Please note this list is not exhaustive but is intended as a starting point for contributors to consider the focus and theme of their chapter.
Parody
‘Allo, ‘Allo
Heil Honey I’m Home
Comic misadventures
Hogan’s Heroes
Gomer Pyle
McHales’ Navy
Petticoat Affair
Camaraderie and comedy
Gary Tank Commander
At Ease
Carry on Sergeant
The Army Game
Slapstick
The General
The Great Dictator
Dark comedy
Private Schulz
Three Kings
Stripes
JoJo Rabbit
Good Morning Vietnam
Women and war
Private Benjamin
Resistance
GI Jane
Nostalgia
Dad’s Army
It Ain’t Half Hot Mum
If you are interested in contributing to this collection, we ask that you submit an abstract by October 4th of up to 250 words explaining the focus and approach of your proposed essay.
The proposed volume is intended to be scholarly but accessible in tone and approach. Each contribution should be 6000 words.
This collection is under contract with an American publisher.