Haunted Laughter: Representations of Adolf Hitler, the Third Reich, and the Holocaust in Comedic Film and Television

Jonathan C. Friedman

doi:10.5771/9781793640161

Summary

A 2023 Choice Reviews Outstanding Academic Title

Haunted Laughter addresses whether it is appropriate to use comedy as a literary form to depict Adolf Hitler, The Third Reich, and the Holocaust. Guided by existing theories of comedy and memory and through a comprehensive examination of comedic film and television productions, from the United States, Israel, and Europe, Jonathan Friedman proposes a model and a set of criteria to evaluate the effectiveness of comedy as a means of representation. These criteria include depth of purpose, relevance to the times, and originality of form and content. Friedman concludes that comedies can be effective if they provide relevant information about life and death in the past, present, or future; break new ground; and serve a purpose or multiple purposes—capturing the dynamic of the Nazi system of oppression, empowering or healing victims, serving as a warning for the future, or keeping those who can never grasp the real horror of genocide from losing perspective.

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Bibliographic data

Edition: 1/2022
Copyright Year: 2022
ISBN-Print: 978-1-7936-4015-4
ISBN-Online: 978-1-7936-4016-1
Publisher: Lexington, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: 234
Product Type: Monograph

1. Contents No access
Introduction No access Pages 1 - 18
Famous Comedies from The Great Dictator to Jojo Rabbit‌‌ No access Pages 19 - 60
Comedy Films and TV Shows about Hitler No access Pages 61 - 100
Contesting the Nazis and Their System of Terror through Humor No access Pages 101 - 144
Memory, Trauma, and Comedy No access Pages 145 - 192
Humor as Social Criticism No access Pages 193 - 214
Conclusion No access Pages 215 - 218
Bibliography No access Pages 219 - 226
Index No access Pages 227 - 232
About the Author No access Pages 233 - 234