On Black Humor in Catch—22 英语专业毕业论文.docxVIP

On Black Humor in Catch-22 Abstract This paper focuses on the study of black humor in Catch-22, which is one of the typical representative books of black humor. At first, it introduces the author of Catch-22, Joseph Heller and this novel. And then, it proceeds to make a general explanation of black humor. In the following sections, this paper mainly analyzes black humor in catch-22 through four aspects, including the portrayal of main characters, the arrangement of the structure, the themes of the novel and the features of language. All in all, catch -22 is one of the most important works of black humor and this paper would be helpful for the readers to have a better understanding of the novel catch-22. Key words: black humor, Catch-22, paradoxical, absurd Introduction Joseph Heller (1923-1999) is an American novelists, playwright and short story writer. As one of the most prominent American contemporary novelists, his best-known novel, Catch-22, is recognized as a major work of the postwar period and remains his most famous and acclaimed work. Because his marvelous use of black humor and satire in his literary creation, Heller becomes one of the representatives of black humor- an indispensable literary trend which thrived in the United States in 1960s. He was born in Brooklyn in 1923. In 1942, Heller enlisted in the Army Air Corps. In 1944, his cadet training completed and he was dispatched to Corsica, cohere he served as a wing bombardier on sixty combat missions until he got honorably discharged. Hence, his military experiences are simultaneously reflected in Catch-22. After the withdrawal from the World War Ⅱ, he enjoyed a long career as a writer and a teacher. Heller wrote Catch-22 while working at a New York City marketing firm producing ad copy. Apart from Catch-22, his best-selling books include Something Happened, Good as Gold, Picture This, God knows and Closing Time. Heller’s works are characterized by a satirical sense of the absurd, speaking out agai