AN ANALYSIS OF HUMOR IN COLIN THOMPSON'S THE FLOODS SERIES

• Main Author: Raden Mochammad Alfysa Dwikatama, - (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: 2018-08-28.
• Subjects: Thesis; NonPeerReviewed
• Online Access: Link Metadata
• Notes: http://repository.upi.edu/39592/1/S_ING_1405429_Title.pdf; http://repository.upi.edu/39592/2/S_ING_1405429_Abstract.pdf; http://repository.upi.edu/39592/3/S_ING_1405429_Table_of_Content.pdf; http://repository.upi.edu/39592/4/S_ING_1405429_Chapter1.pdf; http://repository.upi.edu/39592/5/S_ING_1405429_Chapter2.pdf; http://repository.upi.edu/39592/6/S_ING_1405429_Chapter3.pdf; http://repository.upi.edu/39592/7/S_ING_1405429_Chapter4.pdf; http://repository.upi.edu/39592/8/S_ING_1405429_Chapter5.pdf; http://repository.upi.edu/39592/9/S_ING_1405429_Bibliography.pdf; http://repository.upi.edu/39592/10/S_ING_1405429_Appendix.pdf
• Keywords: PE English

Humorous children's books relatively transcend times. It is because humor in children's books can appeal to both adults and children. The Floods series by Colin Thompson is one of the examples. However, there might be some underlying meanings behind the humor that are probably overlooked by children readers. Therefore, this study attempts to construct the way humor operates in The Floods series and to make meanings of the humor depicted in it. Employing a textual analysis, this study is framed by Vandaele's (2002) framework of humor mechanisms as its analytical tool. This study also uses Mallan's (1993) framework of humor elements to strengthen the analysis. The findings show that humor in The Floods operates based on context. This means the humor operates with regards to certain indicators which circumscribe its operation. There are four contexts of humor which are identified in this study: (1) conditioning, (2) evaluation, (3) (de-)normalization and (4) solution. This context-based operation of humor, moreover, is built from the interaction of incongruity and superiority. To an extent, the analyses demonstrate that humor in the book series is a manifestation of adult superiority. The humor is not only about its pleasurable aspect for children, but it is also used to clarify the authority of adults.