Comic Relief: The Power of Humor in Social Fiction

Harvard FAS

Comic Relief focuses on fictional works in French which use humor to dorer la pilule, or make more palatable, the social ills and political dangers they reveal. With naïfs and rebellious women as protagonists, these coming-of-age stories raise questions about the relationship between social critique and self-discovery. We will explore nuances of irony, parody, satire, and slapstick in works by Voltaire, Vargaftig, Chraïbi, and Queneau.