An Absurd Laughter: Towards a Genealogy and Typology of “Silly Humor” (1940-1946)

Abstract

In a 2001 article, Óscar Steimberg introduced a suggestive category called “silly humor”. Among its characteristics Steimberg mentions exploration, a drawing line which is reminiscent of children’s drawings, a rupture with naturalistic representation and drawing skills. In this article, I will take as a corpus three magazines published in the 1940s: Cascabel and Don Fulgencio from Argentina, and La Codorniz from Spain. Many of the humorists who participated in them share the features of “silly humor” outlined above. Through the examples present here, I will aim to develop a deeper typology of the category “silly humor” developed by Steimberg, and I will unfold its genealogy