DOI: 10.5176/2251-3566_L315.98
Authors: Wang Bing
Abstract:
Neil Simon is considered as the most famous comedian in America in the 20th century. Based on personal experiences, he melts his legacy of traditional Jewish humor into the speeches of his characters and sublimates and develops it into the unique humor art of Simon in the American culture. In a realistic way, Simon takes a humorous look at sorrows and joys of people in modern city. His comedy always immerses the audience in big laughter full of ridiculousness and helplessness. In his comedies, he skillfully mixes tragedy and comedy together to reveal cruel social reality under a humorous vein. He focuses on the central problems and conflicts of the modern American society with hidden or obvious Jewish representations, so his humor possesses the universal meaning in the American melting pot. Meanwhile, Simon’s humor has its uniqueness, and the humor in his comedies can be generalized five types: self-deprecating humor, self-pity humor, imitative humor, rhetoric humor and situational humor. His humor reflects the inheritability of Jewish culture, and is imbued with reality in modern life. Humor art of Simon conquers Broadway and brings dawn light to the declining American drama. By exploring Simon’s humor art, readers can understand the life of the middle class in America and their surviving strategy, and recognize the profound thought and humor art values of Simon’s comedies.
Keywords: traditional Jewish humor, humor art of Neil Simon, sorrows and joys, inheritability
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