Northrop Frey's Theory Of Comedy Flashcards

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1
Q

What are 6 characteristics of a Shakespearean Comedy?

A
  • Comedic Languagw: wordplay, puns metaphors, insults
  • Love: sets of lovers that must overcome obstacles
  • Complex Plots: convuluted twists and turns
  • Mistaken Identity: plot is driven by this
  • Happy Ending: involved marriage/s
  • Stock Characters: the fool, young lovers, clever servant, the drunk, the snob
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2
Q

What are the characteristics of “Existent society” in Frye’s archetype of comedy?

A
  • Absurd/arbitrary law upheld by obstructing characters
  • age, parents
  • monetary wealth
  • Habit, ritual, bondage, arbitrary laws, old characters
  • Illusion (fixed or definable). May be caused by disguise, obsession, hypocrisy, or unknown parentage
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3
Q

What are the characteristics of Frye’s Reformed Society?

A
  • hero and heroine
  • Youth, children
  • Monetary poverty
  • Youth with pragmatic freedom
  • Reality (not illusion, changeable)
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