This group of writers represents a diverse spectrum of humor, ranging from the light, pun-heavy verse of Richard Armour to the sharp, sociopolitical critiques of Lu Xun and Krishan Chander. Their syntax and style are tailored to their specific brand of wit—whether it be subtle observational satire or aggressive, biting sarcasm.
Here is an analysis of their writing styles with examples.
1. Richard Armour (1906–1989)
Armour was a master of light verse and parodic prose, specializing in "light-academic" humor.
- Syntax Style: Short, snappy sentences. He used excessive parallel structure to create rhythm, followed by a sudden twist in the last line or clause.
- Technique: Puns, clever rhymes, understatement, and pretending to be scholarly to mock the subject.
- Examples:
- On History: "The reader will not encounter any half-truths, but may occasionally encounter a truth-and-a-half."
- On Academic Publishing: "A footnote is a note at the bottom of the page, where the author hides his errors and his sense of humor."
- Verse: "Shake and shudder, / Lose your rudder, / If you are a / Baby shudder."
2. Art Buchwald (1925–2007)
A syndicated columnist, Buchwald perfected the "topsy-turvy" style, applying absurd logic to serious subjects.
- Syntax Style: Journalistic, direct, and conversational. He often used dialogue, placing the absurd, witty remarks in the mouths of powerful politicians or ordinary people facing bureaucratic madness.
- Technique: Literal interpretation of metaphors, "treating light subjects seriously and serious subjects lightly," and the "Buchshot" (a sharp one-liner).
- Examples:
- On Government: "Whether it’s the best of times or the worst of times, it’s the only time we’ve got".
- On Political Spin: Imagine a conversation where a politician defends a terrible policy by arguing it's actually for "maximum chaos," and treating that chaos as a bureaucratic achievement.
3. Anton Chekhov (1860–1904)
Chekhov’s early writing was filled with humorous short stories and farcical plays, later blending into tragicomedy.
- Syntax Style: Simple, direct, and observational (like a doctor’s report). He used sharp dialogue to reveal character flaws and social hypocrisy, often with a "deadpan" delivery where the absurdity isn't explained.
- Technique: Bathos (sudden anticlimax), irony, and exaggeration of a character's fixation on trivialities.
- Examples:
- From "The Death of a Civil Servant": After sneezing on a general, the clerk thinks, "I’ve defiled him... I must apologize, or he’ll think I’m a savage." The humor comes from the overkill of the obsession.
- From "The Marriage Proposal": "I’m in mourning for my life," said deadpan.
4. Lu Xun (1881–1936)
As the father of modern Chinese literature, Lu Xun used satire as a weapon against social decay and intellectual apathy.
- Syntax Style: Precise, concise, and often biting. He combined modern vernacular with classical, symmetrical structures to add irony. His style is characterized by "pathological mastery," dissecting societal illnesses with cold precision.
- Technique: Allegory, irony, and the use of a detached, cynical narrator (as in "A Madman's Diary").
- Examples:
- From "A Madman's Diary": "I couldn't sleep last night... Looking at the history, I saw no dates, but every page was written with the words 'Benevolence, Righteousness, and Morality'... I realized it was just 'Eat People'."
- On Compromise: "If you say the room is too dark and we need to open a window, people will definitely not approve. But if you propose to remove the roof, they will begin to mediate. Then, everyone will agree to open a window".
5. Krishan Chander (1914–1974)
A leading Urdu satirist, Chander was known for his witty observations of poverty, bureaucracy, and the "little man."
- Syntax Style: Narrative, emotional, and often poetic, transitioning quickly between humor and profound pathos. He used irony to highlight the absurdity of social inequalities.
- Technique: Personification, exaggerated situations, and biting, cynical observations masked as innocence.
- Examples:
- On Bureaucracy: Describing an impoverished character filling out a form with 10,000 questions about his income, to which the answer is always "none," treating the sheer volume of paperwork as a bureaucratic accomplishment.
- On Poverty: "In this city, the poor are so polite; they die without making any noise."
Summary of Comparison
| Writer | Primary Style | Focus | Syntax Character |
|---|---|---|---|
| Armour | Light Verse/Parody | Academic/Social folly | Snappy, Pun-heavy, Rhyming |
| Buchwald | Absurdity/Topical | Politics/Jet-set | Conversational, Dialogue-heavy |
| Chekhov | Irony/Deadpan | Bureaucracy/Hypocrisy | Realistic, Observational |
| Lu Xun | Cold/Allegorical | Culture/Tradition | Precise, Concise, Symmetrical |
| Chander | Pathos/Pathos | Poverty/Bureaucracy | Narrative, Emotional, Irony |
