Wonka, Witches, and Wormy Spaghetti: Transgressive Humour in Roald Dahl's Novels for Children
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2020-06-29
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en
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From the moment they were published, Roald Dahl’s novels for children have been subject to fierce criticism and have been accused of containing sexism, racism, excessive scariness, and violence. The subjects and the humour in Dahl’s novels often transgress social and moral boundaries and can as such be called transgressive.
This thesis has looked into the definition of transgressive humour, what the standards were for discussing socially and morally transgressive subjects in children’s novels in the 1960s and 1980s, and the humour that children generally appreciate. Based on an analysis of transgressive subjects and transgressive humour in Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964), The Twits (1980), and The Witches (1983), it can be said that Dahl’s novels can be described as transgressive in both instances: subjects and humour.
Keywords: Roald Dahl; Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; The Twits; The Witches; transgressive humour; children’s literature
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