Parody means the hyperbolic, distorted, ironic imitation of contemporary social phenomena or historical events as well as the structures, themes, genres of classic works, making them look preposterous, burlesque and absurd, thus criticizing the conventional and historical sense of value from the literary angle.
4. Character Analysis
Milo Minderbinder: representing capitalist free enterprise, brilliant and insane, black market to make money, bend his rules for money, liked by everyone; however, bomb own squadron because of the deal with Germans, becomingcontrolled, show capitalism transending political ideology, acceptance of payment to show everyone values money.
3. Plot Overview
WWII, Yossarian and his squadron stationed on Pianosa. They endure a nightmarish, absurd existence defined by bureaucracy and violence. (inhuman resources, brutal combat situations, good aerial photographs, number of missions inscreasing, a war going on in Yossarian’s mind, crazy)
1. Catch-22 (paradoxical)
• insane so can be grounded • claim insane only prove sane, can not be grounded • a Catch-22 situation: an impossible situation because you cannot do one thing until you do another thing, but you cannot do the second thing until you do the first thing. 相互矛盾的 困窘 • Eg. It's a Catch-22 situation here. Nobody wants to support you until you're successful, but without the support how can you ever be successful?
Black humor, also called “black comedy”, or “comedy of the absurd.” Compared with traditional, black humor is more close to satire, meaning a kind of humor including both comic and terrible. Black humor writers usually break the convention, making the plot illogical, mixing the reality with fancy and reminiscence, seriousness with playfulness.
4. Character Analysis
Yossarian: protagonist, alienated, insane outsider, anti-hero, avoid risking life, morbid life philosophy, illogical world (life threated by missions), logical to survive, self-preservation, in conflict by friends’ death, when have to make a choice, between, formed his own Catch-22---no mortal concern about others, meaningless life; if yes, life in danger, flee, liberate
Merchant of Venice, Shylok says the following words in Act three: “I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? Hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick. us, do we not bleed?”
• “You’re dead, sir,” one of his two
enlisted men explained. • Doc Daneeka jerked his head up quickly with resentful distrust. “What’s that?” • “You’re dead, sir,” repeated the other. “That’s probably the reason you always feel so cold.” • “That’s right, sir. You’ve probably been dead all this time and we just didn’t detect it.”(p. 341)
5.1 Structure Formless formation Repetitious Scenes Bewildering Chronology (psychological time) 5.2 Black Humor, (example) 5.3 Parody, example 5.4 Symbolism 5.5 Anti-hero
published in 1961. It is set during WWII in 1943 and is frequently cited as one of the great literary works of the twentieth century. It uses a distinctive nonchronological third-person omniscient narration, describing events from different characters' points of view and out of sequence so that the time line develops along with the plot.
5. Themes
• • • • 5.1 The Absolute Power of Bureauracy 5.2 Loss of Religious Faith 5.3 The Impotence of Language 5.4 The Inevitability of Death
6. Writing Techniques
1. Nazi’s butcher: atomic bomb, people’s panic 2. Cold war: Mccarthyism, mutural fear and hostility 3. The Korean War and Vietnam War 4. Assassination of Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Feminism, anti-war movement, Water-Gate scandal 5. American dream disillusion
3. Plot Overview
Nately died in mission when falling in love with a whore who blamed Yossarian and tried to kill him. Milo claims every has a share, but false. Arrested in Rome, 2 choices---court martial or home honorable (support, agree 80 missions). Desert army , flee to Sweden, goodbye to dehumanizing cold machinery of the military, rejects the rule of Catch-22, a future in his own control.
3. Plot Overview
Yossarian’s story, core of the novel, events refracted through his point of view, take the war personally, not swayed by national ideals, furious when life in danger, desire to live, so in hospital, faking illness to avoid war, troubled by his memory of Snowden, him in ridiculous, absurd, desperate, tragic circumstances---friends disappear, bombed by own men, top dogs merciless.