Humor and revelation in American literature : the Puritan connection /

Covici (Southern Methodist Univ.) relates religious beliefs about revelation to concepts of political and religious "truth" in the writings of Franklin, Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, Twain, and others. This solid, imaginative study examines underlying assumptions of possessing "inside information" about God's intentions and the nature of the universe. The author uncovers surprising parallels between Puritan beliefs and the humor of the Southwest, and even in the rebellions against genteel propriety in such diverse works as Emerson's Nature and Hemingway's and Fitzgerald's novels. The heart of Covici's argument is that much of American literature uses the technique of surprising readers into an epiphany of insights. This concept, developed in Covici's earlier Mark Twain's Humor: The Image of a World (1962) and in D.H. Monro's notion of "universe changing" in Argument of Laughter (1951), allows an effective investigation of the religious, social, and political assumptions that writers explode to develop meaning. Covici's knowledge of American literary history and its British religious roots is impressive; his sense of humor and ability to select the revealing incident or relevant allusion make for a lively and engaging study. Recommended for anyone interested in American humor or literature. All academic collections. D. R. Stoddard; Anne Arundel Community College