Research seminar in English studies: “Native American Humour in the Works of Adrian C. Louis” (Paul Rüsse)

Abstract: Although humour in Native American literature has received some attention in recent years, most of it centres on the 'big' names such as Gerald Vizenor, Louise Erdrich, or Sherman Alexie. Other writers, equally fascinating and often even more comical, have been less fortunate in this regard, with Adrian C. Louis being one of the more prominent examples. The presentation seeks to address the many functions of humour found in Louis's short story collection Wild Indians and Other Creatures. Under special scrutiny is the author's use of satire, irony, and grotesque as well as related rhetorical devices. One of the aims of the paper is to investigate how American Indians employ laughter in their relationships with each other and the nation state.