Cultural representations of contemporary Mexican drug culture:
Cultural representations of contemporary Mexican drug culture:
Dark humour and irony in relation to the abject
Author(s): Brigitte AdriaensenSubject(s): Language and Literature Studies, Theoretical Linguistics, Applied Linguistics, Pragmatics, Sociolinguistics
Published by: Krakowskie Towarzystwo Popularyzowania Wiedzy o Komunikacji Językowej Tertium
Keywords: dark humour; irony; narconovela; violence; memory;
Summary/Abstract: Ever since Felipe Calderón declared the war on drugs at the beginning of his presidency in 2006, violence has drastically permeated Mexican society. In this paper, I will focus on the different uses of dark humour and irony in the representation of the mutilated and abject body in contemporary Mexican culture, especially in literature. Therefore, I will take into consideration the Mexican tradition of humoristic approaches to death, which might seek a cathartic effect in dealing with violence and trauma. I will also link some grotesque representations of violence to the influence of “nouvelle violence” cinema, related to the films of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodríguez in the 1990s. I will show how irony is introduced as a critical tool that questions our consumption of violence as distant readers or spectators of the scene of crime.
Journal: The European Journal of Humour Research
- Issue Year: 3/2015
- Issue No: 2/3
- Page Range: 62-79
- Page Count: 18
- Language: English