Um estudo sobre riso e atemporalidade: o que faz rir em o guia do mochileiro das galáxias?

Abstract

Laughing is one of the most natural forms of human expression. Understanding what makes us laugh helps us understand the characteristics of a society, time, or culture. Anchoring the anal ysis in the established notions by Bergson (2018) and Bakhtin (1981, 2008, and 2010) regarding laughter in literature, this study aims to analyse Douglas Adams' science fiction novel "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," originally published in 1979. It explores the themes of Earth's destruction and space travel with a healthy dose of irony and sarcasm. The focus is to comprehend what generates laughter in the work and whether it still elicits laughter using the same techniques even decades after its release. This is a bibliographic research that analyses the literary aspects of the work, with laughter as its main focus. A sample of three chapters from the first book of the series was chosen, covering the initial arc of the story from character intro duction to the destruction of planet Earth. Within the studied material, elements that contribute to generating laughter, such as inversion, breaking of normality, parody, irony, recognition, and subversion of expectations, can be identified. Based on this constructed study, it can be inferred that laughter remains timeless in this work due to its sufficient comedic elements. However, further analysis covering more of the book would be necessary to fully support this claim