The Functions Of Black Humor In Anne Tyler's Dinner At The Homesick Restaurant

Anne Tyler, one of the best novelists in contemporary America, attracts readers with her quiet and subtle fiction that explores complex family relationships and the individual's search for connection and meaning in a hostile and unpredictable world. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant is considered her finest novel by many critics. Some critics have noticed the humor in the novel but they fail to recognize that much of the humor in the novel is in essence black humor.This thesis is an attempt to discuss the functions of black humor in Anne Tyler's novel Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by applying the theory of humor and black humor. It is composed of six chapters. Chapter I is a literature review of the relevant studies of the novel and a general introduction to the theory of humor and black humor, which will be applied to my study. Chapter II to Chapter V of the thesis are devoted to the analysis of the functions of black humor in the presentation of the life stories of the four main characters in the novel: Pearl, Cody, Jenny and Ezra. The functions of black humor in the presentation of each character's life story will be discussed from three aspects: failure of communication, jokes of fate and the disillusionment with life. Chapter VI draws a conclusion that most of the humor in the novel is in essence black humor and it performs important functions in the novel. As far as Tyler is concerned, it is not only a means to reveal the meaninglessness and absurdity of the modern world, but also an attitude for man to overcome the blackness of life in the absurd modern world.