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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
dark
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this was quite misogynistic but that’s on me for reading a book from the 60s. however, i did like the irony and critiques brought up in this book, and i especially loved Helena’s perspective
같은 작가의 '참을 수 없는 존재의 가벼움'은 소설적인 묘사를 생략한 채 사건을 전달하는 기사문처럼 건조하여 글 읽는 재미를 거의 느낄 수 없었던 데 비해 '농담'은 인물과 배경을 손에 잡힐 듯 세밀하게 묘사하고 있어 그와 정반대의 소설적 재미를 선사한다.
여러 등장인물의 시점에서 번갈아 가며 서술하는 방식으로 진행되는 소설은 학창 시절의 농담으로 시작된 주인공 루드비크 얀의 굴곡진 인생을 마치 블랙 코미디처럼 보여준다. 얀의 모습에서 타인과의 진정한 소통을 하지 못한 채 현실과 유리된 사변의 벽에 갇혀 있는 지식인의 모순을 볼 수 있었다. 그의 그러한 공감 불능은 그로 하여금 인간관계에서 실상과는 동떨어진 자기만의 허상에 사로잡히게 만들어 종종 자기의 의도나 예상과는 전혀 다른 결과에 부딛히게 하고, 마침내는 아무 거리낌 없이 인간을 목적이 아닌 수단으로 삼게까지 만든다. 그러나 그 결과 역시 그의 의도와는 다를 뿐이다.
제목인 '농담'은 그의 인생을 송두리째 바꾸어 놓은 계기가 된 도입부의 농담 뿐 아니라 책의 결말 부분, 주인공의 행위가 결국 하나의 농담에 지나지 않았음을 중의적으로 의미한다.
여러 등장인물의 시점에서 번갈아 가며 서술하는 방식으로 진행되는 소설은 학창 시절의 농담으로 시작된 주인공 루드비크 얀의 굴곡진 인생을 마치 블랙 코미디처럼 보여준다. 얀의 모습에서 타인과의 진정한 소통을 하지 못한 채 현실과 유리된 사변의 벽에 갇혀 있는 지식인의 모순을 볼 수 있었다. 그의 그러한 공감 불능은 그로 하여금 인간관계에서 실상과는 동떨어진 자기만의 허상에 사로잡히게 만들어 종종 자기의 의도나 예상과는 전혀 다른 결과에 부딛히게 하고, 마침내는 아무 거리낌 없이 인간을 목적이 아닌 수단으로 삼게까지 만든다. 그러나 그 결과 역시 그의 의도와는 다를 뿐이다.
제목인 '농담'은 그의 인생을 송두리째 바꾸어 놓은 계기가 된 도입부의 농담 뿐 아니라 책의 결말 부분, 주인공의 행위가 결국 하나의 농담에 지나지 않았음을 중의적으로 의미한다.
challenging
emotional
funny
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
medium-paced
"Marketa was the type of woman who takes everything seriously (which made her totally at one with the spirit of the era)." So says protagonist Ludvik early on in 'The Joke.'
This quote appears to be truth both of the zeitgeist and the potential reading experience of this novel. The Joke is certainly poigniant at times, and none of the characters are reduced to cartoony representations of humanity. Indeed, their very humanness lends itself to the comedy the title promises and Kundera delivers. But, like any joke, not everyone is going to get it or find it funny.
This is certainly Ludvik's experience when he dares to tell a saucy joke during the communist regime (to great personal detriment).
"I do [consider myself an optimist]," I said timidly. "I like a good time, a good laugh," I said, trying to lighten the tone of the interrogation. --"Even a nihilist can like a good laugh," said one of them. "He can laugh at people who suffer."
The narrative is peppered with jokes and quips and clever turns of phrase, some pointed, some some ironic and wry, some situational, some absurd:
"I found myself celebrating my downfall with a wedding ceremony."
There's also a great scene in the second act wherein the men Ludvik is working with collectively decide to throw a footrace by failing in increasingly absurd and silly ways: tripping spectacularly, running comically slowly, etc.
In other words, the greatest irony is that Ludvik swears up and down to 'The Party' that his joke was just that, 'a joke,' not something to be taken seriously. And yet, over and over again, we see Kundera employ humour (however wry it might be) as an act of resistence.
We meet other fantastic POV characters throughout the novel, notably a childhood aquintance of Ludvik's who is now desperately clinging to the vestiges of a once robust folk culture, and the wife of Ludvik's self-proclaimed adversary--the man he blames for getting him kicked out of the party--who he determines to have an affair with as a means of exacting revenge (of course, in a novel called 'The Joke,' this doesn't go quite the way either he or Helena (the wife) expected).
A fabulous novel with definite re-readability, although do note a massive trigger warning for graphic descriptions of rape.
This quote appears to be truth both of the zeitgeist and the potential reading experience of this novel. The Joke is certainly poigniant at times, and none of the characters are reduced to cartoony representations of humanity. Indeed, their very humanness lends itself to the comedy the title promises and Kundera delivers. But, like any joke, not everyone is going to get it or find it funny.
This is certainly Ludvik's experience when he dares to tell a saucy joke during the communist regime (to great personal detriment).
"I do [consider myself an optimist]," I said timidly. "I like a good time, a good laugh," I said, trying to lighten the tone of the interrogation. --"Even a nihilist can like a good laugh," said one of them. "He can laugh at people who suffer."
The narrative is peppered with jokes and quips and clever turns of phrase, some pointed, some some ironic and wry, some situational, some absurd:
"I found myself celebrating my downfall with a wedding ceremony."
There's also a great scene in the second act wherein the men Ludvik is working with collectively decide to throw a footrace by failing in increasingly absurd and silly ways: tripping spectacularly, running comically slowly, etc.
In other words, the greatest irony is that Ludvik swears up and down to 'The Party' that his joke was just that, 'a joke,' not something to be taken seriously. And yet, over and over again, we see Kundera employ humour (however wry it might be) as an act of resistence.
We meet other fantastic POV characters throughout the novel, notably a childhood aquintance of Ludvik's who is now desperately clinging to the vestiges of a once robust folk culture, and the wife of Ludvik's self-proclaimed adversary--the man he blames for getting him kicked out of the party--who he determines to have an affair with as a means of exacting revenge (of course, in a novel called 'The Joke,' this doesn't go quite the way either he or Helena (the wife) expected).
A fabulous novel with definite re-readability, although do note a massive trigger warning for graphic descriptions of rape.
the author has a beautiful writing style, but the book is probably the worst one i’ve ever read.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A beautiful book, would be a lot better if Kundera didn’t hate women so much
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Rape, Suicide attempt
challenging
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I very much enjoyed reading this novel, and it was hard to put down. The writing and dialog were believable. Never once, which often happens with other books, did I catch myself puzzled by the dialogue or the plotline. Many lines jump out from the page to grab you and make you pause, such as; "All the basic situations in life occur only once, never to return. For a man to be a man, he must be fully aware of this never-to-return." This novel was an enjoyable mix of the political, history, personal growth, and human perceptions. I look forward to reading more of Kundera, and The Joke is in my stack for re-reading down the road.