Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture

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”I feel like a pelican. Everywhere I look I have this huge bill in front

of me”The Rhetoric of Comedy and the Comedy of Rhetoric: Black Adder

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture

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Comedy

• The art of amusing an audience

• We laugh with someone, at someone else

• Group identification: we have a sense of humour they don’t

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture

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Rhetoric

The art of persuading an audience

We agree and disagree with other people

Group identification: Right vs wrong

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture

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Comedy/rhetoric

• The Rhetoric of Comedy: Does comedy try to persuade us? How? About what? Why?

• The Comedy of Rhetoric: Does rhetoric try to amuse us? How? Why?

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture

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Blackadder Chronology• "(Blackadder Unaired Pilot)" (1982) • The Black Adder (1983) • Blackadder II (1986) • "The Shakespeare Sketch" (1989) • "Blackadder: The Cavalier Years" (1988) • Blackadder the Third (1987) • "1775" (US series pilot) (1992) • "Blackadder's Christmas Carol" (1988) • Blackadder Goes Forth (1989) • "Woman's Hour" Invasion (1988) • "Blackadder and the King's Birthday" (1998) • "Blackadder: Back & Forth" (2000) • "Blackadder: The Army Years" (2000) • "The Royal Gardener" (From the Queen's Jubilee) (2002) • "Jubilee Girl" (2002)

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture

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The Black Adder (1983): 1485 (the end of the British Middle Ages)

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture

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Blackadder II (1986): 1558–1603 (The Elizabethan Age)

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture

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Blackadder the Third (1987): late 18th and early 19th centuries - the Regency

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture

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Blackadder Goes Forth (1989): 1917 – The Great War

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture

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Development

• I II III IV

• Stupid Lord Royal Army

• prince butler capt.

• more more moneysurvival

• power power

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture

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Chiasmus (X)

• High social status High intelligence

• Low intelligence Low social status

• I II III IV

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture

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Blackadder theThird

• Georgian era (1714-1811)

• Regency (1811-1820 (1837)

• Late 18th and early 19th centuries

• Enlightenment and Romanticism

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture

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The Dandy

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture

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Exoticism: The Royal Pavillon, Brighton (1803-1822)

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture

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Exoticism: The Royal Pavillon, Brighton (1803-1822)

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture

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Blackadder the Third

• Dish and Dishonesty: political representation• Ink and Incapability: linguistic representation• Nob and Nobility: existential representation• Sense and Senility: artistic representation• Amy and Amiability: existential representation• Duel and Duality: existential representation

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture

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Blackadder the Third

• Jane Austen (1775-1817)

• Sense and Sensibility (1811)

• Pride and Prejudice (1813)

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture

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BBC adaptations of P&P

• 1980 • 1995

Jens Kirk, Dept. of Languages and Culture

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BBC adaptation of Sense and Sensibility

• 1981 • 2008