Seaver, Paul W. Jr.

Dr. Seaver holds a Ph.D. in Spanish Peninsular literature from the University of Maryland, where he specialized in twentieth-century literature. He has published and presented extensively on twentieth-century Spanish literature, humor in Spanish literature, film and foreign language pedagogy. He currently teaches Spanish at Lincoln University and is the President of the International Society for Luso-Hispanic Humor Studies.

El Primer Periodo De Enrique Jardiel Poncela, 1927-1936 Valoración Del Humorismo De Un Iconoclasta Español

1992 0-7734-9886-9
This is a study of the humorous techniques employed by Jardiel in the novels and plays that comprise his first humorous phase. This first period constitutes a time of experimentation with audacity and inventive verve of new humorous themes and techniques, his establishment on the Madrid stage as viable theatrical author, and the development of his characteristic style. Based on his new esthetic precepts of renovation of the comic form, he developed a personal style of writing called "jardielism," characterized by hyperbole, the wildly ridiculous and the highly implausible. Further, as a result of his exposure to Hollywood in the 1930s, his works evidence a strong cinematic quality. The four novels studied are: Amor se escribe sin hache; ¡Espérame en Siberia, vida mía!; Pero... ¿hubo alguna vez once mil vírgenes?; and La `tournée' de Dios. Also examines the humorous structures in eight plays. In Spanish throughout.

Essays in Luso-Hispanic Humor

2004 0-7734-6322-4