Catch-22
Group members:周晓宇 张凡 黄思琪 胡明珠
Contents
Joseph Heller Catch-22 Black Humor Black Humor in Chapter 5 Character Analysis
Joseph Heller
Joseph Heller (May 1, 1923 – December 12, 1999) was an American satirical novelist, short story writer, and playwright. He is one of the leading writers of black humor literature. His novels grew out of reality and reveals the excruciating dissident force in society. In 1961, he published the Catch-22 and became famous overnight.
“第22条军规”一词现在已经是英语语言中的一个常用词，按《美国新世 界辞典》的解释，该词的意思是“法律、规则或实践上的一个悖论，不管 你做什么，你都会成为其条款的牺牲品”。
Etymology(语源): title of a novel by Joseph Heller (1961), in which the main character feigns madness in order to avoid dangerous combat missions, but his desire to avoid them is taken to prove his sanity.Therefore, he still cannot escape from the combat missions.
Features of Black Humor:
ic way to express tragic situations 2.Creation of anti-hero 3.Illogical narrative structure
Black Humor are different from the traditional humor. Traditional humor bases on the optimism, which believes good will prevail over evil.Its laugh is relaxing and delightful. However,Black Humor bases on the pessimism, express tragic situations in comic way.Its laugh is bitter and forced.
• Black humor refers as much to the tone of anger and bitterness as it does to the grotesque(荒诞的) and morbid(病态的) situation, which often deals with suffering,anxiety and death.Black humor is a substantial element in the anti-novel and the Theater of the Absurd.

Black Humor in Chapter 5
1. “You’re wasting your time,” Doc Daneeka was forced to tell him. “Can’t you ground someone who’s crazy?” “Oh, sure. I have to. There’s a rule saying I have to ground anyone
Black Humor
• Black humor is a novel school rise in 1960s in America, holds an impoetant status in the western literature.
• The term black humor (from the French humour noir) was coined by the surrealist theoretician André Breton in his book Anthology of Black Humor in 1939.
Catch-22
“Catch-22” has entered the English lexicon to refer to a vicious circle where in an absurd, no-win choice, particularly in situations in which the desired outcome of the choice is an impossibility, and regardless of choice, a same negative outcome is a certainty.
Other works:Something Happened 1974 Good as Gold 1979
Catch-22
Catch-22 is the representative work of the Black Humor,from Heller's personal experience of WWll. Defferent from other anti-war novel, Catch22 is not noly the criticism of the war and the military bureaucracy(军事官僚制度)， but also the criticism of the growing absurdity (荒诞)in life.