Women and Humor: A Linguistic and Rhetorical Analysis of Joke Target

Authors Marietta Holley, Fanny Fern and Harriet Beecher Stowe produced works of humorous fiction, parody and satire to advance discussion on the question of women’s suffrage and equality. Using The General Theory of Verbal Humor (Attardo and Raskin, 1994; Attardo, 1994) to analyze some of the joke targets used by these women writers, the dissertation argues that some works of early feminist humor are easily recast as proto feminist humor. Additionally, the dissertation argues that anti-feminist humor authored by Marietta Holley and Harriet Beecher Stowe was created to control the rhetorical discourse of more radical elements of the early suffrage movement. Finally, the dissertation recognizes the complexity of the development of feminist humor and acknowledges the importance of humor as a form of rhetorical persuasion used by these women writers.

Name thesis:degree_name

PHD

Level thesis:degree_level

doctoral

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

College of Arts and Sciences / Department of English

Grantor dc:publisher

Kent State University

Year dc:date

2013

Author dc:creator

• Karman, Barbara A.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Newman, Sara

• American Literature
• Linguistics
• Rhetoric
• Womens Studies
• feminist humor
• 19th century women's humor

Statement dc:rights

• unrestricted
• This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1366049215

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:etd.ohiolink.edu:kent1366049215