Wit's End by Sean Zwagerman
Wit's End is an original perspective on women's use of humor as a performative strategy, seen in works of twentieth-century American literature. Zwagerman argues that women, whose direct, explicit performative speech has been traditionally denied, or not taken seriously, have often turned to humor as a means of communicating with men.
"What's that funny sound?" she asked suddenlyIt invariably made him angry when she heard a funny sound. "What funny sound?" he demanded. "You're always hearing funny sounds." She laughed briefly. "That's what you said when the bearing burned out," she reminded him.... "It sounds like a lot of safety pins being jiggled around in a tumbler." He snorted.... "Nothing gets the matter with a car that sounds like a lot of safety pins. I happen to know that." "Oh sure," she said. "You always happen to know everything." They drove on in silence.... - Excerpt from James Thurber's "A Couple of Hamburgers"
Sean Zwagerman is assistant professor of English at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780822960744 |
| ISBN 10 | 0822960745 |
| Title | Wit's End |
| Author | Sean Zwagerman |
| Series | Composition Literacy And Culture |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | University of Pittsburgh Press |
| Year published | 2010-04-25 |
| Number of pages | 264 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |