A Short List Of The Best Well Written Dark Comedy Novel

By Robert Peterson


During the thirties, the Surrealist movement rose in popularity and it was evident in numerous applications. A product of this movement was the creation of black comedy, which is considered a classical style of comedy that relied on dark subject matters. This includes making light on various topics that are otherwise, considered taboo or scandalous by nature. Due to this, entertainers and people who enjoyed this new brand of humor were considered unorthodox during this time.

At present times, this comical approach continues to be used by various comedians and has been interpreted in numerous formats. This includes the creation of literature that expands on various topics regarding it, as well as movies and songs created by artists across the world. Following this trail of thought, this article contains a list of top seven titles in the Dark Comedy Novel category in literature.

Haunted is a book by Chuck Palahniuk, an author known for his dark humor and the use of shock value to surprise readers with the content of this works. A vast majority of his works have been translated to movies, which went on to win awards. However, one of his most disturbing works yet is this one, which centers on a group of characters who willingly submit themselves to staying in one house to write something worth publishing, but are unaware of the dangers that each member brings.

Daniel Handler wrote The Basic Eight, which focuses on a diary written by Flannery. Flannery is a student still in high school, who often has discussions and muses about various topics like Satanism, the irony of talk shows, and the flaws of the educational system set in America. Near the end, she participates in a school production of Othello, where she begins to draw comparisons between herself and its characters.

Nick Cave is known primarily as the vocalist for Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, but has also ventured into literature in his spare time. This is evident in his work called The Death of Bunny Munro. The plot follows Bunny, a grown man who is suffering from the suicide of his now deceased wife. He becomes increasingly depressed and relies on alcohol and unconventional relationships with other women to get him by. When the need to support his lifestyle and young son becomes apparent, he gets a job as a door to door cosmetics salesman, unaware of the serial killer who has been stalking him ever since.

Choke is another novel written by Chuck Palahniuk, which was made into a major film production sometime after its initial release. The titular character is Victor, who is a sexually addicted man who is struggling to support his mother residing in a nursing home. To keep up with expenses, he devises a scheme for strangers to give donations, while he works in a museum. As he continues this, he becomes capable of supporting his mother, while also building his dream home.

A popular comic that was first created in the40s is One Hundred and One Uses for a Dead Cat. This was conceptualized by Simon Bond, who draws and creates dialogue for this one panel comic and compiled everything into numerous books. The cats that are drawn often face horrors, often having a gory or macabre tone to it.

Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Is a famous classical writer that created novels in this category. A notable one is The Sirens of Titan, which was published during the 50s and is considered by scholars and enthusiasts as an innovative work of fiction. It also has underlying tones of science fiction where the protagonists ponder and discuss topics about free will, a god, and the purpose of human life. As they do this, the world is slowly being taken over by Martians, who intend to invade the planet.

Bret Easton Ellis wrote The Rules of Attraction, which is falls under the satire category. Its main focus is a group of college students who are influenced by their bohemian lifestyles to regularly engage in sexual activities and drugs. They attend an art college, where three main characters subsequently develop a love triangle between themselves. In early two thousands, it was turned into a full length film.




About the Author:



Share on :

0 comments:

Post a Comment