Research On Terry Eagleton’s Critical Theory Of Humour

Terry Eagleton is an outstanding literary theorist and literary critic in England,and one of the important representatives of contemporary Western Marxism.With a keen eye,he perceived the social and political reality and cultural reality of today’s capitalism,especially the reality that class struggle is relatively weak.Eagleton criticizes capitalism with “beauty”as a new ruling tool,makes an in-depth analysis of “beauty” and creatively puts forward the critical theory of humour.This new idea of confronting capitalism from “direct attack” to“taking retreat as advance” is not only a response to the realistic problems of today’s capitalism,but also the purpose of striving for political liberation by criticizing the capitalist society.First of all,the paper combs the background,theoretical source and theoretical foundation of Eagleton’s critical theory of humour.The social and historical reality that the class struggle in contemporary capitalist society is relatively weak is the environment in which Eagleton’s critical theory of humour comes into being.Aided by “beauty”,instrumental rationality dissolves the dimension of human negation and transcendence,which leads Eagleton to think about social criticism and political liberation of capitalism through“beauty”.The aesthetic thoughts of Foreign Marxism and some western philosophers,together with Marxist political aesthetics,have become the main theoretical source of Eagleton’s critical theory of humour.Eagleton’s cultural and political criticism and political liberation aesthetics laid a foundation for the birth of his critical theory of humour.Contemporary western aesthetics in a certain sense,is a self-help history in which bourgeois construct their own discourse system.Eagleton is well aware of the importance and urgency of arousing human subjectivity and displaying its aesthetic power and tries to make full use of humour to critique capitalist society and seek liberation.Secondly,the thesis studies the main content of Eagleton’s critical theory of humour.Using humour as a weapon,Eagleton formed a new way of thinking to explore the social criticism and political liberation of capitalism.This paper expounds the main contents of his critical theory of humour from five aspects: laughter,humour disharmony theory,humour release theory,humour superiority theory and the function of critical theory of humour.Humour disharmony theory is the core of Eagleton’s critical theory of humour,which plays a coordinating and harmonious role.Humour release theory mainly expresses the release and compensation of humour through laughter.Humour superiority theory is not a complete negation,but a corrective and protective role.Critique of humour is a new perspective to analyze and criticize the capitalist society and a new path to the possible liberation of human beings.In today’s capitalist society to seek a new perspective to play its social criticism and political liberation function.This thesis points out that the purpose of Eagleton’s critical theory of humour is to analyze “beauty” in the history background of the developed capitalist society where class struggle is relatively weakened and takes “beauty” as the tool of capitalist rule to dissolve the subjectivity of the status quo,trying to develop a “beauty” as the core of political liberation new path to achieve the purpose of “revive” subjectivity,On this basis,social criticism and political liberation can be realized.This theory has certain significance for human freedom and liberation.Finally,the thesis uses the basic stand,viewpoint and method of Marxism to analyze Eagleton’s critical theory of humour.The thesis holds that Eagleton has expanded a new idea of Western left-wing political liberation theory based on “aesthetic ideology”,developed Western Marxist political liberation theory for the purpose of “revitalizing subjectivity”,and enriched Marxist aesthetic thought with “body” as a bridge.However,Eagleton’s critical theory of humour has its inherent limitations,which are mainly reflected in the attempt to arouse people’s subject consciousness from the perceptual level,but such subject consciousness is weak and difficult to realize its political liberation purpose.Although Eagleton’s critical theory of humour has its shortcomings,it is still a theoretical response to the reality of the changing capitalist society.This theoretical response is rooted in the soil of western thought,which is of great significance for us to deeply understand the relevant theories of Marxism abroad.