On The Structural Features And Spritual Characteristics Of The Comical Contradictions

The comical study is a very important and controversial academic domain in the history of aesthetics. This paper explores the essential features of comedies by observing the unification of the form and the essence of comedy from the perspective of comedy contradiction.The comical represent a multi-structure, in which the different contradictory factors confront each other. The contradictions may be within the object itself, between one object and another, and between the aesthetic subject and the object. At the same time, any social or subjective factor may bring about changes to the inherent contradictions and ultimately to the aesthetic effect. Moreover, the interaction of multiple contradictions and the variations in the factors concerned should be integrated into the rules of the game, to actualize the comic effect. The composition of the comic contradictions directly affects the validity and the scope of the theoretical model, especially its explanatory power. I contend that the key to theoretical probe into comedy is the comical contradiction. At the same time, it should be noted that the comic effect is a result of the interaction of the many different factors. The complexity of the comical itself necessitates a comprehensive command of interactions of the multiple aesthetic factors on the researcher's part. This means we should explore the basic structure of the contradictions and its contemporary development and variation, the universal patterns of the form of the contradiction and the variables which affect the aesthetic effect, and the underlying philosophical and aesthetic implications, so that our exploration can be of more general theoretical validity.The present paper addresses the theoretical issues in the comical research by focusing on contradiction in comedy, especially how the form and content are unified, so that we may be able to propose some theoretical solutions to the problems in the production of comedies and development and variations of the contemporary comedic features.The paper consists of six parts.The first part reviews the six major theoretical models of comedy, i.e., the theory of the negative feature of the comical object, the theory of degradation, the theory of contrast, the theory of incongruity, the theory of deviation from a norm, and the theory of mixed motifs. It is found that they have in common that they are all confined to the negative comedy and are not generally valid. Of the six theories, the theory of incongruity is a drive at the right direction and is more influential in that it addresses the issue of contradiction. However, it has its theoretical difficulties due to the fact that its followers do not pay enough attention to the special features of comedy contradictions. In this connection, the present paper aims at bringing out the unique structure and rule of development and variation of the complex and various comedy contradictions so that we may reach the special features of comedy contradictions. At the same time, we are also interested in investigating the philosophical and aesthetic significance of the form and structure of the comedy contradictions, so that we may have a thorough understanding of its essential features.The second part focuses on the three basic characteristics of the comical contradictions. 1) The combination of "self-paradox" and "abnormal paradox" constitutes the "double-paradox" of comic contradictions. 2) From the perspective of logical philosophy, the comical contradiction embodies a "paradox" as a result of self-contradiction and self-conflict inherent in the contradiction. 3) From the angle of dialectic thinking and deconstructive criticism, we can find that comedy contradictions have the deconstructive feature of self-denial.Partâ…¢is an analysis of the five structural forms of the comical contradiction and its variation patterns in modern times by integrating the diachronic and synchronic perspective. These are: 1) from " paradox of feint and real" to "paradox of self and id"; 2) from " paradox of self-words and self-behaviors" to "paradox of spirit and flesh"; 3) from "paradox of behavior and aim" to "survival of paradoxical features"; 4) from "paradox of effect and motivation" to "a mockery of history"; 5) from "paradox of the signifier and the signified" to the "curvet" of the signifier and the "delay and sown" of the signified .The fourth part mainly dwells on the aesthetic features of "black humor" and "parody"; it also addresses the issue of the expression forms of the comical contradictions in the film and television texts. Comparatively speaking, western black humor and parody show a higher the degree of make-believe, playfulness, and stylization than their Sinic counterparts, while the latter show a stronger sense of morality and responsibility, and they are closer to real life in form and the image is not as grotesque as that in the western style.The fifth part mainly discusses the aesthetic subject's active role in constructing the comical contradiction in the development of people's sense of comedy in the course of time. The growth of a sense of comedy on the part of the subject goes hand in hand with the discovery of contradictions in comedy; and the development subject's aesthetic value and sense of comedy have an impact on the expression of comic contradictions in traditional, modern, and contemporary comedies.After a review of Kant's laugh theory, Schiller's comic theory and Bakhtin's comic ontology, Part Six probes into philosophic and aesthetic implications of the double-paradoxical structure of the comical contradiction. It is concluded that the spirit of comedy is comic freedom. It is a freedom of the will beyond survival paradox, an orgiastic freedom with the nature of Utopia> and an intellectual freedom at the release of oppression.In conclusion, the essence and expression of the comical contradictions is an organic whole: The essence of comedy is a kind of free and playful life experience beyond the paradox of realistic life obtained by the aesthetic subject through the spirit of freewill and the ideal of Utopia...