An analysis was made of the personal and non-personal post-Soviet political anecdotes. It is argued that post-Soviet political anecdotes have been created during 2000–2019. The starting point is that the Russian word анекдот carries particular, cultural information and does not have a systematic equivalent in Swedish ot English, i.e. it can not be directly translated to English as anecdote or joke or to Swedish as anekdot, skämt, or vits. This was demonstrated in a brief comparison with Swedish jokes and anecdotes.  Using three text corpora with a total of 3,170 political anecdotes, I examined: (a) how events and politicians are described and how this can be decoded (corpus 1 and 3); (b) what topics are most common (corpus 2 and 3).  A more in-depth analysis of cultural references, pragmatics, semantics and deixis was made of 33 selected anecdotes, which were considered to be representative for the genre. The analysis showed that the thematics tend to be recurring, that few new anecdotes are added, old anecdotes are repeated and that the genre has undergone considerable changes during the past two decades. Such a change is the abscense of post-Soviet anecdotes with significant critique against politicians or sensitive political topics, as compared to earlier anecdotes, and a simplification of the genre. This development is a possible result of that anecdotes are no longer told as often as during previous decades, as well as the new Russian law § 282 implemented as of spring 2019, which affects the creation and distribution of anecdotes. By extrapolation, the observed changes could lead to parts of the most common anecdotes becoming tematic jokes in the future.

<p>The fact that every individual has a different sense of humor and it varies greatly from one person to another means that it is a challenge to learn any individual’s humor preferences. Humor is much more than just a source of entertainment; it is an essential tool that aids communication. Understanding humor preferences can lead to improved social interactions and bridge existing social or economic gaps.</p><p> </p><p>In this study, we propose a methodology that aims to develop a recommendation system for jokes by analyzing its text. Various researchers have proposed different theories of humor depending on their area of focus. This exploratory study focuses mainly on Attardo and Raskin’s (1991) General Theory of Verbal Humor and implements the knowledge resources defined by it to annotate the jokes. These annotations contain the characteristics of the jokes and also play an important role in determining how alike these jokes are. We use Lin’s similarity metric (Lin, 1998) to computationally capture this similarity. The jokes are clustered in a hierarchical fashion based on their similarity values used for the recommendation. We also compare our joke recommendations to those obtained by the Eigenstate algorithm (Goldberg, Roeder, Gupta, & Perkins, 2001), an existing joke recommendation system that does not consider the content of the joke in its recommendation.</p>

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O romance O cheiro de Deus representa a culminância do projeto estético-literário de Roberto Drummond. O autor concebe um épico capaz de mimetizar, numa perspectiva moderna, a narrativa clássica e preservar a origem popular e contemporânea de sua literatura. Dois eixos norteiam aqui a abordagem da obra: um, dedicado à fonte clássica e mitológica do romance; o outro, atento às intervenções da tradição popular com que o paradigma erudito se reconfigura. O primeiro capítulo se dedica à análise das imagens presentes no romance, a partir de correntes variadas dos estudos acerca do mito, e das negociações do paradigma romanesco com os procedimentos de composição do épico, sistematizados por Emil Staiger. O eixo dedicado ao cânone termina com a reflexão filosófico-estética das formas e dos gêneros, baseada nas ideias de Friedrich Nietzsche e de Mikhail Bakhtin. O segundo capítulo prossegue com a investigação do veio popular, introduzido no sistema romanesco através da referência a outras linguagens artísticas, do riso e da metáfora olfativa presente no título. Vistas em separado, 1- as referências estéticas a outras formas de arte permitem compreender a ligação entre a ingenuidade das representações de Roberto Drummond e a arte naïf; a irresistível tendência ao sentimentalismo e aos atos derramados, e o melodrama; o conceito de fórmulas de páthos (Aby Warburg) e a força do imaginário popular no romance. 2- As formas do riso, com ênfase na teoria freudiana do chiste, revelam as estratégias do discurso empenhado em sabotar suas interdições. 3- A metáfora do cheiro de Deus sintetiza todas as linhas desenvolvidas anteriormente, ao se configurar como fator cosmológico do romance. Assim, a inspiração clássica e épica, perpassada pelo riso e por expressões de arte popular, gera mais do que uma obra exótica, irreverente e naïf, como as que peculiarizam o estilo do autor: torna o romance um projeto nada ingênuo de construção ficcional, gerenciado pela metáfora olfativa. Esta dissertação, portanto, investiga como tais eixos antitéticos e complementares acionam fórmulas tradicionais e atuais, frequentando tanto as altas esferas evanescentes, divinas e literárias, quanto o habitus da descontração e da superficialidade contemporâneas, na mesma medida em que a simples e poderosa metáfora do cheiro de Deus traduz a convergência existente entre eles / The novel O cheiro de Deus represents the culmination of Roberto Drummonds aesthetic project. The author creates an epic that simulates, in a modern perspective, the classic genre of narrative, but preserving the popular and contemporary origins of the Brazilian writer. The approach of this novel is divided into two axis: one is dedicated to the classic and mythological sources; the other regards the interventions of the popular tradition with which the erudite paradigm reconfigures. The first chapter leads with the images present in the novel, establishing ground on the various trends of the myth studies, as well on the mediation of the epic paradigm, systematically described by Emil Staiger. The axis dedicated to the canon ends with a philosophical and aesthetic reflection about literary forms and genres, based on the considerations of Friedrich Nietzsche and Mikhail Bakhtin. The second chapter proceeds with the investigation of the popular vein, introduced in the fictional system by three different strategies: the reference to other forms of art, the laughter and the olfactory metaphor present in the title. Seen separately, 1- the aesthetic references from other forms of art allow to comprehend the link between the naivety of Roberto Drummonds representations and naïf painting; the overwhelming tendency to sentimentalism to emotional gesture, and melodrama; the concept of emotional formulae or Pathosformeln (Aby Warburg) and the power of popular imaginary in the novel. 2- The categories of laughter, with emphasis on the freudian theory of the joke, reveal the strategies of the discourse engaged in sabotaging its interdictions. 3- Smell of God as metaphor synthesizes all the lines of thought developed earlier, whereas it configures itself as the cosmological factor of the story. In this manner, the classic and epic inspiration, under the influence of the laughter and popular art expressions, generates more then an exotic, irreverent and naïf literary piece, like the ones that usually identifies the peculiar style of the author: it turns this novel into a project of fictional creation that has no naivety at all, commanded by the olfactory metaphor. This dissertation, therefore, investigates how these two antithetical and complementary axis activate traditional and present formulas of representation, supporting the evanescent, divine and literary high spheres, as well the habitus of contemporary casualness and superficiality in Drummonds novel. The simple and powerful methaphor of the smell of God translates such convergence

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:13:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2606.pdf: 930592 bytes, checksum: f4756c2d671b859733477486438959b2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-03-06 / The research is an investigation about the phenomenon of the Laugh, from the studies of Henri Bergson and Sigmund Freud up to today's research on neuroscience, gelotology and several other studies on human behaviour. In order to better understand the Laugh, an accurate evaluation of the book " Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic", by Henri Bergson is made as an attempt to better understand the main considerations set by the author, in his interpretation of this phenomenon as a Social Gesture and all the implications originated by such fact. In the second chapter of this study, Jokes and their Relation to the Unconscious , by Sigmund Freud, are closely analyzed in details, comparing Freud s and Bergson s approaches and analyzing the mechanisms proposed by Freud concerning the way the Joke works, pointing out the reasons why they would be told to others. The reading and analysis of this book are directed specifically to the study of the Laugh, not approaching any other aspect, relevant to the reading of Freud s work as a whole, which however, would deviate the focus of this work. All the efforts were dedicated to the comprehension of the jokes mechanisms studied by Freud as well as ways to obtain pleasure through them. At the end updated research is verified, such as the one from Richard Wiseman s Laugh Laboratory, that accomplished a worldwide research selecting which would be considered the funniest jokes by people. Also as an object of study there is the role of the mirror-neurones, an important finding that allows a clearer vision about primates and human s social behaviors. The possibility of the laughter to be a behaviour similar to the grooming of the primates is also raised, since both would be related to the exchange of pleasure among individuals viewing the benefit of the group. Following this line, a study is presented defining the laughter as a specific characteristic of the male gender, who would use this feature as an approach aiming at attracting a mate. There isn't a conclusive result, there is not a final word about the laughter because it is clear that in many circumstances the term ranges similar phenomena, which are not exactly the same. In the same way that there is multiple laughter, there are multiple areas that study the distinct variations of the Laugh. / A pesquisa é uma investigação sobre o fenômeno do Riso, partindo dos estudos de Henri Bergson e Sigmund Freud até as pesquisas atuais da neurociência, da gelotologia e dos variados estudos sobre o comportamento humano. Para compreender melhor o Riso, é feita uma avaliação detalhada do livro O Riso , de Henri Bergson, buscando compreender as considerações fundamentais estabelecidas pelo autor, na sua interpretação deste fenômeno como um Gesto Social e todas as implicações que derivam deste fato. No segundo capítulo deste estudo é analisado com detalhes O Chiste e sua relação com o Inconsciente , de Sigmund Freud, comparando as abordagens de Freud e Bergson e analisando os mecanismos propostos por Freud para o funcionamento do chiste e quais as razões pelas quais eles seriam contados. A leitura e análise deste livro são dirigidas especificamente ao estudo do Riso, deixando de abordar outros aspectos, importantes para a leitura da obra de Freud como um todo, mas que desviariam o foco deste trabalho. Todo o esforço foi dedicado à compreensão dos mecanismos do chiste estudados por Freud e das formas de obtenção de prazer através deles. Ao final, pesquisas atuais são estudadas, como as do Laboratório do Riso de Richard Wiseman, que realizou uma pesquisa mundial sobre quais seriam as piadas consideradas mais engraçadas pelas pessoas. Investiga-se também o papel dos neurônios-espelho, importante descoberta que permite uma visão mais clara sobre comportamentos sociais de humanos e primatas. A possibilidade de o riso ser um comportamento semelhante ao grooming dos primatas também é levantada, já que ambas seriam trocas de prazer entre indivíduos visando um benefício dentro do grupo. Nesta linha, é apresentado um estudo que define o riso como uma característica específica do gênero masculino, que usaria o recurso para aproximação da fêmea visando acasalamento. Não há um resultado conclusivo, não há uma palavra final sobre o Riso, pois se torna claro que em muitas circunstâncias o termo abarca fenômenos semelhantes, mas não exatamente iguais. Da mesma maneira que existem múltiplos risos, também existem múltiplas áreas que estudam as distintas variações do Riso.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O romance O cheiro de Deus representa a culminância do projeto estético-literário de Roberto Drummond. O autor concebe um épico capaz de mimetizar, numa perspectiva moderna, a narrativa clássica e preservar a origem popular e contemporânea de sua literatura. Dois eixos norteiam aqui a abordagem da obra: um, dedicado à fonte clássica e mitológica do romance; o outro, atento às intervenções da tradição popular com que o paradigma erudito se reconfigura. O primeiro capítulo se dedica à análise das imagens presentes no romance, a partir de correntes variadas dos estudos acerca do mito, e das negociações do paradigma romanesco com os procedimentos de composição do épico, sistematizados por Emil Staiger. O eixo dedicado ao cânone termina com a reflexão filosófico-estética das formas e dos gêneros, baseada nas ideias de Friedrich Nietzsche e de Mikhail Bakhtin. O segundo capítulo prossegue com a investigação do veio popular, introduzido no sistema romanesco através da referência a outras linguagens artísticas, do riso e da metáfora olfativa presente no título. Vistas em separado, 1- as referências estéticas a outras formas de arte permitem compreender a ligação entre a ingenuidade das representações de Roberto Drummond e a arte naïf; a irresistível tendência ao sentimentalismo e aos atos derramados, e o melodrama; o conceito de fórmulas de páthos (Aby Warburg) e a força do imaginário popular no romance. 2- As formas do riso, com ênfase na teoria freudiana do chiste, revelam as estratégias do discurso empenhado em sabotar suas interdições. 3- A metáfora do cheiro de Deus sintetiza todas as linhas desenvolvidas anteriormente, ao se configurar como fator cosmológico do romance. Assim, a inspiração clássica e épica, perpassada pelo riso e por expressões de arte popular, gera mais do que uma obra exótica, irreverente e naïf, como as que peculiarizam o estilo do autor: torna o romance um projeto nada ingênuo de construção ficcional, gerenciado pela metáfora olfativa. Esta dissertação, portanto, investiga como tais eixos antitéticos e complementares acionam fórmulas tradicionais e atuais, frequentando tanto as altas esferas evanescentes, divinas e literárias, quanto o habitus da descontração e da superficialidade contemporâneas, na mesma medida em que a simples e poderosa metáfora do cheiro de Deus traduz a convergência existente entre eles / The novel O cheiro de Deus represents the culmination of Roberto Drummonds aesthetic project. The author creates an epic that simulates, in a modern perspective, the classic genre of narrative, but preserving the popular and contemporary origins of the Brazilian writer. The approach of this novel is divided into two axis: one is dedicated to the classic and mythological sources; the other regards the interventions of the popular tradition with which the erudite paradigm reconfigures. The first chapter leads with the images present in the novel, establishing ground on the various trends of the myth studies, as well on the mediation of the epic paradigm, systematically described by Emil Staiger. The axis dedicated to the canon ends with a philosophical and aesthetic reflection about literary forms and genres, based on the considerations of Friedrich Nietzsche and Mikhail Bakhtin. The second chapter proceeds with the investigation of the popular vein, introduced in the fictional system by three different strategies: the reference to other forms of art, the laughter and the olfactory metaphor present in the title. Seen separately, 1- the aesthetic references from other forms of art allow to comprehend the link between the naivety of Roberto Drummonds representations and naïf painting; the overwhelming tendency to sentimentalism to emotional gesture, and melodrama; the concept of emotional formulae or Pathosformeln (Aby Warburg) and the power of popular imaginary in the novel. 2- The categories of laughter, with emphasis on the freudian theory of the joke, reveal the strategies of the discourse engaged in sabotaging its interdictions. 3- Smell of God as metaphor synthesizes all the lines of thought developed earlier, whereas it configures itself as the cosmological factor of the story. In this manner, the classic and epic inspiration, under the influence of the laughter and popular art expressions, generates more then an exotic, irreverent and naïf literary piece, like the ones that usually identifies the peculiar style of the author: it turns this novel into a project of fictional creation that has no naivety at all, commanded by the olfactory metaphor. This dissertation, therefore, investigates how these two antithetical and complementary axis activate traditional and present formulas of representation, supporting the evanescent, divine and literary high spheres, as well the habitus of contemporary casualness and superficiality in Drummonds novel. The simple and powerful methaphor of the smell of God translates such convergence

Seriemediet inkorporerar lingvistiska och ikoniska tecken för att uttrycka etiska, moraliska, sociala och politiska budskap, vilka kan slätas över av en underhållande och tilltalande form. Detta gör mediet lämpligt för en retorisk analys. Ett omdiskuterat ämne inom seriemediet är dess gestaltning av kvinnor, å ena sidan i form av stereotypa könsroller och underrepresentation av verkligt intressanta kvinnliga karaktärer, å andra sidan sexualiserande porträtteringar, våld och övergrepp. Denna uppsats undersöker hur våld mot kvinnor gestaltas i mötet mellan olika typer av bilder och texter i ett och samma serieförfattarskap. Undersökningen genomförs med hjälp av Roland Barthes ”Rhétorique de l’image” (1964) och teorin om the male gaze som Laura Mulvey diskuterar i artikeln ”Visual pleasure and narrative cinema” (1975). Analysen inspireras av en komparativ metod beskriven av Lennart Hellspong i Metoder för brukstextanalys (2001). Uppsatsen granskar utdrag ur Watchmen, Batman: The Killing Joke och The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen av Alan Moore, en av vår tids mest ansedda författare inom seriemediet, också känd för att porträttera våld mot kvinnliga karaktärer.  Uppsatsens påvisade en ambivalens i porträtterandet av våld mot kvinnor i utdragen ur Alan Moores graphic novels, samt behovet av att problematisera såväl Alan Moores serier som Laura Mulveys the male gaze, men också möjligheten att använda hennes och Barthes teorier inom retorikdiskursens och seriemediets ramar för att granska hur samspelet mellan bild och text kan uttrycka olika typer av budskap och attityder.

This thesis deals with humour on Facebook, I examine the themes and practices of humorous posts that are related to the direct election of the President of the Czech Republic,in particular to the two candidates who got into the second round of presidential elections, Karel Schwarzenberg and Miloš Zeman. In the theoretical part I introduce humour from a theoretical point of view. I identify three central theories, types of jokes and function of laugh. In subsequent chapters I define the basic assumptions that lead to the involvement of fans in the creation of online posts, which can circulate through social networks. I present new tools in online political marketing and summarize the basic topics of the official campaigns of both candidates. In the practical part I analyze, using the grounded theory, how and why Facebook users worked with humour in posts which respond to the presidential election. The material which was searched, can be described as illustrated jokes, photos with or without text, collages, comics or cartoons from official and unofficial Facebook pages of both candidates. The research showed that humour had primarily negative role during the campaign. Humour was a tool to defame and ridicule the candidate, jokes showed his shortcomings. It also warned voters what could happen in the...

In recent decades in Newfoundland, a sustained interest in Christian symbols, stories, and values has been paired with increasing criticism of Christian religious institutions and agents. Newfoundlands burgeoning tradition of professional humour has reflected this changing set of relationships to Christianity. This robust young humour tradition richly reflects the ongoing pluralization and secularization of Newfoundland culture, and abundantly exemplifies humours distinctive potential as a means of addressing potentially contentious or vexing issues. Yet, surprisingly, literary criticism has almost entirely avoided the prominent stream of Newfoundland humour that addresses the islands religious legacy.<p>This project aims to begin to correct this substantial critical omission, examining points of continuity among a number of works produced over the past four decades. It focuses on the works embrace of political and/or epistemological pluralism, typically married to religious skepticism and to misgivings about conventional arrangements of religious power. Chapter One provides an historical and critical context for the project, introduces subsequent chapters, and speculates on ramifications of the pluralistic current that runs through the works in the study. Chapter Two examines religious jokes in Newfoundland joke books. It emphasizes the jokes overall tendency toward (an often ambiguous) religious conservatism, as well as the books latent pluralism regarding interdenominational relations. Chapter Three focuses on journalist and playwright Ray Guys often fierce satire of Christian religious agents and institutions. It argues that Guys satire utterly rejects the legitimacy of religious authority in the civic realm, largely on the grounds that transcendent truthfulness is often invoked as a means of justifying otherwise objectionable power. Chapter Four explores the ecumenical religious humour of columnist and memoirist Ed Smith. It focuses on Smiths playful efforts to harmonize Christian faith and practice with a measure of religious uncertainty presented as a necessary foundation for humane coexistence. Chapter Five examines Ed Kavanaghs novel The Confessions of Nipper Mooney. Primarily, it explicates and examines the novels liberal favouring of the individual moral conscience, and the symbolic association of its religiously dissident and/or marginalized protagonists with elements of the Catholic tradition. Chapter Six discusses Berni Stapletons comic play The Pope and Princess Di. The chapter emphasizes the plays presentation of symbols constant subjection to alteration and hybridization, and its cautious regard for valuable symbols (religious or otherwise) that nonetheless become destructive when viewed as sacrosanct.<p>Chapter Seven concludes the study by considering the works participation in political, philosophical, and literary/dramatic movements that problematize long-established religious modes and support a secular-pluralist outlook. It reflects on the role of humour in movements for change and on didacticism and popular humour as features of publicly engaged literature; it discusses other works of Newfoundland humour that approach religious matters from similarly secular, though less overtly political, angles; and it speculates on some social implications of the ascendancy of liberal, pluralistic values, considering these Newfoundland works in a more general Canadian cultural context.

In recent decades in Newfoundland, a sustained interest in Christian symbols, stories, and values has been paired with increasing criticism of Christian religious institutions and agents. Newfoundlands burgeoning tradition of professional humour has reflected this changing set of relationships to Christianity. This robust young humour tradition richly reflects the ongoing pluralization and secularization of Newfoundland culture, and abundantly exemplifies humours distinctive potential as a means of addressing potentially contentious or vexing issues. Yet, surprisingly, literary criticism has almost entirely avoided the prominent stream of Newfoundland humour that addresses the islands religious legacy.<p>This project aims to begin to correct this substantial critical omission, examining points of continuity among a number of works produced over the past four decades. It focuses on the works embrace of political and/or epistemological pluralism, typically married to religious skepticism and to misgivings about conventional arrangements of religious power. Chapter One provides an historical and critical context for the project, introduces subsequent chapters, and speculates on ramifications of the pluralistic current that runs through the works in the study. Chapter Two examines religious jokes in Newfoundland joke books. It emphasizes the jokes overall tendency toward (an often ambiguous) religious conservatism, as well as the books latent pluralism regarding interdenominational relations. Chapter Three focuses on journalist and playwright Ray Guys often fierce satire of Christian religious agents and institutions. It argues that Guys satire utterly rejects the legitimacy of religious authority in the civic realm, largely on the grounds that transcendent truthfulness is often invoked as a means of justifying otherwise objectionable power. Chapter Four explores the ecumenical religious humour of columnist and memoirist Ed Smith. It focuses on Smiths playful efforts to harmonize Christian faith and practice with a measure of religious uncertainty presented as a necessary foundation for humane coexistence. Chapter Five examines Ed Kavanaghs novel The Confessions of Nipper Mooney. Primarily, it explicates and examines the novels liberal favouring of the individual moral conscience, and the symbolic association of its religiously dissident and/or marginalized protagonists with elements of the Catholic tradition. Chapter Six discusses Berni Stapletons comic play The Pope and Princess Di. The chapter emphasizes the plays presentation of symbols constant subjection to alteration and hybridization, and its cautious regard for valuable symbols (religious or otherwise) that nonetheless become destructive when viewed as sacrosanct.<p>Chapter Seven concludes the study by considering the works participation in political, philosophical, and literary/dramatic movements that problematize long-established religious modes and support a secular-pluralist outlook. It reflects on the role of humour in movements for change and on didacticism and popular humour as features of publicly engaged literature; it discusses other works of Newfoundland humour that approach religious matters from similarly secular, though less overtly political, angles; and it speculates on some social implications of the ascendancy of liberal, pluralistic values, considering these Newfoundland works in a more general Canadian cultural context.

The thesis deals with the era of the Czech literature in the second half of the 20th century. It focuses on the description of the humorous elements in selected literary works. The works are different in topics and genres too and in the end the works are reflected all together. The main literature sources are the analyzed titles and the book f essays called Silence and laughter by Sylvia Richterová. The first chapter presents an outline of the atmosphere of the 60s, the second chapter defines the topic and genre specifications of the works published in this decade. The third chapter is a methodological guide to comicality. Chapters four to seven analyze individual literary works in several basic points ? composition, language, characters and a description of the nature of the characters as well as the description of the theme.