Literary theme analysis, by a book like {foo}
Books about Irony
The Oedipus Cycle: Oedipus Rex, Oedipus at Colonus, Antigone
by Sophocles
Ancient tragedy of a family's fall from grace due to a fateful prophecy.
English versions of Sophocles’ three great tragedies based on the myth of Oedipus, translated for a modern audience by two gifted poets. Index. ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Screwtape Letters
by C.S. Lewis
A series of letters between two devils, providing a window into human nature and morality.
The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis is a classic masterpiece of religious satire that entertains readers with its sly and ironic portrayal of human life and foibles from the vantage point of ... (Goodreads)
Stone Mattress: Nine Tales
by Margaret Atwood
Nine stories exploring human relationships and the complexities of modern life.
A collection of highly imaginative short pieces that speak to our times with deadly accuracy. A recently widowed fantasy writer is guided through a stormy winter evening by the voice of her late ... (Goodreads)
Catch-22
by Joseph Heller
An absurdist war satire highlighting the absurdity of bureaucracy and the human condition.
Fifty years after its original publication, Catch-22 remains a cornerstone of American literature and one of the funniest—and most celebrated—books of all time. In recent years it has been named to ... (Goodreads)
White Noise
by Don DeLillo
A darkly comic exploration of modern life, examining the effects of technology and consumer culture.
Set at a bucolic mid-western college known only as The-College-on-the-Hill, White Noise follows a year in the life of Jack Gladney, a professor who has made his name by pioneering the field of Hitler ... (Wikipedia)
Our Dumb Century: The Onion Presents 100 Years of Headlines from America's Finest News Source
by Scott Dikkers
A humorous collection of fake news headlines poking fun at the events of the past century.
The Onion has quickly become the world's most popular humor publication, misinforming half a million readers a week with one-of-a-kind social satire both in print (on newsstands nationwide) and ... (Goodreads)
A Modest Proposal
by Jonathan Swift
A satirical essay that mocks British policies in Ireland and offers a shocking solution.
Naked
by David Sedaris
Collection of humorous essays exploring the absurdities of everyday life.
Welcome to the hilarious, strange, elegiac, outrageous world of David Sedaris. In Naked , Sedaris turns the mania for memoir on its proverbial ear, mining the exceedingly rich terrain of his life, ... (Goodreads)
Don Quixote
by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
An aging knight's adventures and misadventures, filled with chivalry, honor, and satire.
Don Quixote has become so entranced by reading chivalric romances that he determines to become a knight-errant himself. In the company of his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, his exploits blossom in ... (Goodreads)
Dead Souls
by Nikolai Gogol
A satirical tale of a man's quest for wealth, exposing the corruption of 19th century Russian society.
The story follows the exploits of Chichikov, a middle-aged gentleman of middling social class and means. Chichikov arrives in a small town and turns on the charm to woo key local officials and ... (Wikipedia)
Oedipus Rex
by Sophocles
Tragic tale of a man's inescapable destiny and the consequences of his actions.
Oedipus, King of Thebes, sends his brother-in-law, Creon, to ask advice of the oracle at Delphi , concerning a plague ravaging Thebes. Creon returns to report that the plague is the result of ... (Wikipedia)
The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden
by Jonas Jonasson
A quirky and humorous tale of a small Swedish town, and the unlikely events that unfold.
In 1961, Nombeko Mayeki is born a poor black girl in Soweto . She leaves the slums and a twist of fate – she is run over but survives – puts her into the employ of the engineer who ran her over, as a ... (Wikipedia)
Transmetropolitan, Vol. 5: Lonely City
by Warren Ellis
A science-fiction dark comedy about a journalist navigating a dystopian world.
SC, TPB, in cello, New, Written by Warren Ellis. Art by Darick Robertson. Published in June of 2001. Softcover, 144 pages, full color. Mature Readers. Cover price $14.99. ... (Goodreads)
Six Characters in Search of an Author
by Luigi Pirandello
A play exploring illusion and reality, as six characters search for a playwright to tell their story.
An acting company prepares to rehearse the play Mixing it Up by Luigi Pirandello. As the rehearsal is about to begin, they are unexpectedly interrupted by the arrival of six strange people. The ... (Wikipedia)
The Book of Laughter and Forgetting
by Milan Kundera
An exploration of the power of memory and the meaning of life through a series of interconnected stories.
The first section occurs in 1971 and is the story of Mirek, as he explores his memories of Zdena. Knowing that he loved this ugly woman has left a blemish, and he hopes to rectify this by destroying ... (Wikipedia)
The Importance of Being Earnest
by Oscar Wilde
A lighthearted comedy of manners, full of witty dialogue and satirizing Victorian society.
Oscar Wilde's madcap farce about mistaken identities, secret engagements, and lovers entanglements still delights readers more than a century after its 1895 publication and premiere performance. The ... (Goodreads)
Lady Windermere's Fan
by Oscar Wilde
A comedic tale of scandal, gossip, and hypocrisy set in high society.
The play opens in the morning room of the Windermeres' residence in London. It is tea time and Lady Windermere—who is preparing for her coming of age birthday ball that evening—has a visit from a ... (Wikipedia)
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again: Essays and Arguments
by David Foster Wallace
Collection of essays and arguments, exploring the absurdities of contemporary culture.
In this exuberantly praised book — a collection of seven pieces on subjects ranging from television to tennis, from the Illinois State Fair to the films of David Lynch, from postmodern literary ... (Goodreads)
The Complete Stories
by Flannery O'Connor
A collection of stories that explore aspects of the human condition through surreal and darkly comedic lenses.
This is the original cover edition of, ISBN: 0374515360, (ISBN13: 9780374515362 Winner of the National Book Award The publication of this extraordinary volume firmly established Flannery O'Connor's ... (Goodreads)
The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary
by Ambrose Bierce
Collection of satirical definitions of everyday words, offering a cynical take on humanity.
If we could only put aside our civil pose and say what we really thought, the world would be a lot like the one alluded to in The Unabridged Devil’s Dictionary. There, a bore is "a person who talks ... (Goodreads)
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto
by Chuck Klosterman
An exploration of pop culture and its influence on contemporary life.
Countless writers and artists have spoken for a generation, but no one has done it quite like Chuck Klosterman. With an exhaustive knowledge of popular culture and an almost effortless ability to ... (Goodreads)
Deadeye Dick
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
A darkly comic story of a man's quest for redemption from a tragic past.
The novel's main character, Rudy Waltz, nicknamed Deadeye Dick , commits accidental manslaughter as a child (he carelessly shoots a gun out of a window and fatally strikes a pregnant woman) and lives ... (Wikipedia)
The Sirens of Titan
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Intergalactic odyssey exploring the meaning of life and the human condition.
Malachi Constant is the richest man in a future North America. He possesses extraordinary luck that he attributes to divine favor which he has used to build upon his father's fortune. He becomes the ... (Wikipedia)
Cat's Cradle
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
A satirical exploration of human folly, exposing the dangers of unchecked science and technology.
Told with deadpan humour and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut's cult tale of global destruction preys on our deepest fears of witnessing Armageddon and, worse still, surviving it ... Dr Felix Hoenikker, ... (Goodreads)
The Good Soldier Švejk
by Jaroslav Hašek
A Czech soldier's satirical adventures during WWI, highlighting the absurdity of war.
The story begins in Prague with news of the assassination in Sarajevo that precipitates World War I . Švejk displays such enthusiasm about faithfully serving the Austrian Emperor in battle that no ... (Wikipedia)
I, Claudius
by Robert Graves
An epic tale of the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, told through the eyes of a dynasty's forgotten leader.
Into the 'autobiography' of Clau-Clau-Claudius, the pitiful stammerer who was destined to become Emperor in spite of himself, Graves packs the everlasting intrigues, the depravity, the bloody purges ... (Goodreads)
Holidays on Ice
by David Sedaris
Collection of humorous essays, exploring the absurdities of the holiday season.
David Sedaris's beloved holiday collection is new again with six more pieces, including a never before published story. Along with such favorites as the diaries of a Macy's elf and the annals of two ... (Goodreads)
Hark! A Vagrant
by Kate Beaton
A collection of humorous and witty comic strips about history, literature, and popular culture.
Hark! A Vagrant is an uproarious romp through history and literature seen through the sharp, contemporary lens of New Yorker cartoonist and comics-sensation Kate Beaton. No era or tome emerges ... (Goodreads)
Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture
by Douglas Coupland
A satirical look at the lives of disaffected young adults in the early 1990s.
Andy, Dag and Claire have been handed a society priced beyond their means. Twentysomethings, brought up with divorce, Watergate and Three Mile Island, and scarred by the 80s fall-out of yuppies, ... (Goodreads)
Rashōmon and Seventeen Other Stories
by Ryūnosuke Akutagawa
A collection of short stories exploring the human experience and the complexities of truth.
This collection features a brilliant new translation of the Japanese master's stories, from the source for the movie Rashōmon to his later, more autobiographical writings. Ryūnosuke Akutagawa ... (Goodreads)
I Am America
by Stephen Colbert
Humorous exploration of American culture, politics and history.
Congratulations –just by opening the cover of this book you became 25% more patriotic. From Stephen Colbert, the host of television's highest-rated punditry show The Colbert Report , comes the book ... (Goodreads)
Diary of a Madman and Other Stories
by Nikolai Gogol
Collection of humorous and dark stories exploring the absurd and surreal.
Hailed by Nabokov as "the greatest artist that Russia has yet produced," Nikolai Gogol (1809-1852) left his mark as a playwright, novelist, and writer of short stories. Gogol's works remain popular ... (Goodreads)
The Far Side Gallery
by Gary Larson
Collection of single-panel cartoons exploring the absurd, surreal and humorous aspects of life.
1984 FarWorks, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Far Side and the Larson signature are registered trademarks of FarWorks, Inc. The Far Side Gallery is an anthology of Gary Larson's The Far Side comic ... (Goodreads)
Pale Fire
by Vladimir Nabokov
A darkly comic and philosophical exploration of art, sanity, and the nature of reality.
Shade's poem digressively describes many aspects of his life. Canto 1 includes his early encounters with death and glimpses of what he takes to be the supernatural. Canto 2 is about his family and ... (Wikipedia)
The Color of Magic
by Terry Pratchett
A comedic fantasy adventure full of humor, absurdities, and unexpected turns.
The story takes place on the Discworld, a planet-sized flat disc carried through space on the backs of four gargantuan elephants – Berilia, Tubul, Great T'Phon and Jerakeen – who themselves stand on ... (Wikipedia)
Candide
by Voltaire
A young man's satirical journey through life, encountering misfortune and eventual optimism.
Candide is the story of a gentle man who, though pummeled and slapped in every direction by fate, clings desperately to the belief that he lives in "the best of all possible worlds." On the surface a ... (Goodreads)
The Canterbury Tales
by Geoffrey Chaucer
A collection of stories told by a group of pilgrims on a journey to Canterbury.
The procession that crosses Chaucer's pages is as full of life and as richly textured as a medieval tapestry. The Knight, the Miller, the Friar, the Squire, the Prioress, the Wife of Bath, and others ... (Goodreads)
The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales
by Jon Scieszka
A collection of absurdly funny fractured fairy tales.
The star of the book is Jack of Jack and the Beanstalk , who tells the stories and deals with the rest of the cast. There is a very loud and annoying Little Red Hen that comes in to complain about no ... (Wikipedia)
The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs
by Jon Scieszka
A humorous reimagining of the classic fairy tale, as told from the wolf's side of the story.
You thought you knew the story of the “The Three Little Pigs”… You thought wrong. In this hysterical and clever fracture fairy tale picture book that twists point of view and perspective, young ... (Goodreads)
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared
by Jonas Jonasson
An adventurous old man escapes a nursing home for an unexpected journey of self-discovery.
Allan Karlsson is about to celebrate his hundredth birthday, and his retirement home in Malmköping is planning to throw a party. Allan is not interested. Instead, he climbs out the window and ... (Wikipedia)
Measure for Measure
by William Shakespeare
A dark comedy about justice, morality, and the search for truth.
Measure for Measure is among the most passionately discussed of Shakespeare’s plays. In it, a duke temporarily removes himself from governing his city-state, deputizing a member of his ... (Goodreads)
Barchester Towers
by Anthony Trollope
Social satire of Victorian England, exploring hypocrisy and ambition in a small cathedral town.
Barchester Towers concerns the leading clergy of the cathedral city of Barchester. The much loved bishop having died, all expectations are that his son, Archdeacon Grantly, will succeed him. Owing to ... (Wikipedia)
Ferdydurke
by Witold Gombrowicz
A man is magically regressed to adolescence, exploring the absurdities of adulthood.
In this bitterly funny novel by the renowned Polish author Witold Gombrowicz. a writer finds himself tossed into a chaotic world of schoolboys by a diabolical professor who wishes to reduce him to ... (Goodreads)
SantaLand Diaries
by David Sedaris
An absurdist account of the author's working at a Christmas theme park.
'Santaland Diaries' contains six of David Sedaris' most profound Christmas stories, from Dinah, the Christmas Whore to Season's Greetings to our Friends and Family. ... (Goodreads)
A Good Man Is Hard to Find and Other Stories
by Flannery O'Connor
A collection of short stories exploring the human condition, from the comic to the grotesque.
This now classic book revealed Flannery O'Connor as one of the most original and provocative writers to emerge from the South. Her apocalyptic vision of life is expressed through grotesque, often ... (Goodreads)
Without Feathers
by Woody Allen
Collection of humorous short stories, exploring the absurdities of life.
Here they are–some of the funniest tales and ruminations ever put into print, by one of the great comic minds of our time. From THE WHORE OF MENSA, to GOD (A Play), to NO KADDISH FOR WEINSTEIN, old ... (Goodreads)
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk
by David Sedaris
Collection of humorous animal-based stories filled with wit and insight.
Featuring, David Sedaris's, unique blend of hilarity and heart, this new collection of keen-eyed animal-themed tales is an utter delight. Though the characters may not be human, the situations in ... (Goodreads)
Brain Droppings
by George Carlin
A collection of humorous, thought-provoking, and often irreverent musings on modern life.
With nearly 20 albums, two Grammys, two Cable ACE awards, and more HBO specials sunder his belt than anyone else, George Carlin is more popular than ever. Now, for the first time, Carlin has produced ... (Goodreads)
Look Who's Back
by Timur Vermes
A satirical novel about a fictional Adolf Hitler, who wakes up in modern-day Germany.
Berlin, Summer 2011. Adolf Hitler wakes up from a 66-year sleep in his subterranean Berlin bunker to find the Germany he knew entirely changed: Internet-driven media spreads ideas in minutes and ... (Goodreads)
The Map and the Territory
by Michel Houellebecq
A darkly humorous exploration of life, art, and success in the modern world.
Si Jed Martin, le personnage principal de ce roman, devait vous en raconter l’histoire, il commencerait peut-être par vous parler d’une panne de chauffe-eau, un certain 15 décembre. Ou de son père, ... (Goodreads)
Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle
by Harold Bloom
A satire of religion, science, and the arms race, exploring themes of morality and mortality.
A critical overview of the work features the writings of Terry Southern, William S. Doxey, Jerome Klinkowitz, Richard Giannone, John L. Simons, James Lundquist, and other scholars. - After the bomb, ... (Goodreads)
The Overcoat and Other Short Stories
by Nikolai Gogol
A collection of humorous, satirical tales, exploring the human condition in 19th century Russia.
The story narrates the life and death of titular councillor Akaky Akakievich Bashmachkin (Russian: Акакий Акакиевич Башмачкин), an impoverished government clerk and copyist in the Russian capital of ... (Wikipedia)
One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories
by B.J. Novak
Collection of short stories, exploring the quirks of life with wit and humor.
New York Times Bestseller , A startlingly original debut from the actor, writer, director, and executive producer hailed as “a gifted observer of the human condition and a very funny writer capable ... (Barnes & Noble)
Arms and the Man
by George Bernard Shaw
A satirical comedy about a Swiss mercenary caught between two warring armies.
The play takes place during the 1885 Serbo-Bulgarian War . Its heroine, Raina Petkoff, is a young Bulgarian woman engaged to Sergius Saranoff, one of the heroes of that war, whom she idolizes. On the ... (Wikipedia)
Lady Susan
by Jane Austen
A witty and manipulative widow manoeuvres her way through society to find suitable marriage prospects.
Beautiful, flirtatious, and recently widowed, Lady Susan Vernon seeks an advantageous second marriage for herself, while attempting to push her daughter into a dismal match. A magnificently crafted ... (Goodreads)
The Code of the Woosters
by P.G. Wodehouse
A series of comic misadventures of a bumbling British gentleman in search of a silver cow creamer.
Jeeves wants to go with Bertie on a round-the-world cruise but Bertie is not interested. Bertie's Aunt Dahlia sends Bertie to go to a particular antique shop and sneer at a silver eighteenth-century ... (Wikipedia)
All My Friends Are Dead
by Avery Monsen
A lighthearted exploration of death, in the context of the animal kingdom.
"Laugh out loud funny, and a tiny bit disturbing. In other words, perfect.", - The Huffington Post An amusing and captivating tale that's a delightful primer for laughing at the inevitable: If you're ... (Goodreads)
A Modest Proposal and Other Satirical Works
by Jonathan Swift
A collection of satirical essays on the state of England and Ireland in the 1700s.
The originality, concentrated power and ‘fierce indignation’ of his satirical writing have earned Jonathan Swift a reputation as the greatest prose satirist in English literature. Gulliver’s Travels ... (Goodreads)
The Book of Bunny Suicides
by Andy Riley
A collection of darkly comic tales featuring a group of suicidal bunnies.
Rabbits. We'll never quite know why, but sometimes they decide they've just had enough of this world- and that's when they start getting inventive. The Book of Bunny Suicides follows over one hundred ... (Goodreads)
CivilWarLand in Bad Decline
by George Saunders
A collection of darkly comic stories, exploring the absurdities of life in a post-apocalyptic world.
In six stories and the novella, Bounty, Saunders introduces readers to people struggling to survive in an increasingly haywire world. ... (Goodreads)
The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays
by Oscar Wilde
Satirical plays that explore the hypocrisies and absurdities of Victorian society.
Combining epigrammatic brilliance and shrewd social observation, the works collected in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest and Other Plays are edited with an introduction, commentaries and ... (Goodreads)
Flashman
by George MacDonald Fraser
A cowardly British soldier's misadventures as he navigates the volatile world of 19th century imperial politics.
Coward, scoundrel, lover and cheat, but there is no better man to go into the jungle with. Join Flashman in his adventures as he survives fearful ordeals and outlandish perils across the four corners ... (Goodreads)
Based on a True Story
by Norm Macdonald
A hilarious memoir recounting the author's experiences in stand-up comedy and life.
When Norm Macdonald, one of the greatest stand-up comics of all time, was approached to write a celebrity memoir, he flatly refused, calling the genre "one step below instruction manuals." Norm then ... (Goodreads)
Goodbye, Columbus and Five Short Stories
by Philip Roth
A collection of stories focused on themes of assimilation, identity, and relationships.
Neil Klugman and pretty, spirited Brenda Patimkin - he of poor Newark, she of suburban Short Hills - meet one summer and dive into an affair that is as much about social class and suspicion as it is ... (Goodreads)
Birds of America
by Lorrie Moore
A collection of comedic stories depicting everyday life with a unique, wry sense of humor.
A long-awaited collection of stories–twelve in all--by one of the most exciting writers at work today, the acclaimed author of Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? and Self-Help. Stories remarkable in ... (Goodreads)
Armageddon in Retrospect: And Other New and Unpublished Writings on War and Peace
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
A collection of essays on war and peace, exploring the human experience of conflict.
To be published on the first anniversary of Kurt Vonnegut's death, Armageddon in Retrospect is a collection of twelve new and unpublished writings on war and peace, imbued with Vonnegut's trademark ... (Goodreads)
Naïve. Super
by Erlend Loe
A humorous coming-of-age story of a young man's search for understanding and purpose in life.
The narrator of this funny and poignant novel is searching for meaning, going back to his childhood, onto the web and off to New York to find it. He writes lists, obsesses over the nature of time, ... (Goodreads)
The Joke
by Milan Kundera
A reflection on the nature of humor, and the consequences of a single joke.
The novel is composed of many jokes, which have strong effects on the characters. The story is told from the four viewpoints of Ludvik Jahn, Helena Zemánková, Kostka, and Jaroslav. Jaroslav's joke is ... (Wikipedia)
Jailbird
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
A satirical look at the prison system, as a prisoner faces the challenge of reforming himself.
Jailbird takes us into a fractured and comic, pure Vonnegut world of high crimes and misdemeanors in government—and in the heart. This wry tale follows bumbling bureaucrat Walter F. Starbuck from ... (Goodreads)
Praise of Folly
by Erasmus
Satirical exploration of the follies of humankind.
In Praise of Folly, , also translated as, The Praise of Folly, ( Latin : Stultitiae Laus or Moriae Encomium ; Greek title: Μωρίας ἐγκώμιον ( Morias egkomion ); Dutch title: Lof der Zotheid ), is an ... (Wikipedia)
The Collected Tales of Nikolai Gogol
by Nikolai Gogol
A collection of bizarre, humorous and satirical stories set in 19th century Russia.
When Pushkin first read some of the stories in this collection, he declared himself "amazed." "Here is real gaiety," he wrote, "honest, unconstrained, without mincing, without primness. And in places ... (Goodreads)
Hocus Pocus
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
A darkly comedic tale of a man's struggle to cope with the absurdity of life.
Eugene is fired from his job as a college professor after having several of his witticisms surreptitiously recorded by the daughter of a popular conservative commentator. Eugene then becomes a ... (Wikipedia)
Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes
by Thomas Cathcart
A humorous exploration of philosophical concepts through jokes.
Here's a lively, hilarious, not-so-reverent crash course through the great philosophical traditions, schools, concepts, and thinkers. Its Philosophy 101 for everyone who knows not to take all this ... (Goodreads)
The Way We Live Now
by Anthony Trollope
A satirical tale of greed and corruption, set in the world of high society.
Augustus Melmotte is a financier with a mysterious past. He is rumoured to have Jewish origins, and to be connected to some failed businesses in Vienna. When he moves his business and his family to ... (Wikipedia)
The Portable Dorothy Parker
by Dorothy Parker
A collection of witty, satirical, and candid stories and poems.
This collection ranges over the verse, stories, essays, and journalism of one of the twentieth century's most quotable authors. ... (Goodreads)
Point Counter Point
by Aldous Huxley
A web of interweaving stories and characters, exploring themes of human relationships and morality.
Aldous Huxley's lifelong concern with the dichotomy between passion and reason finds its fullest expression both thematically and formally in his masterpiece Point Counter Point . By presenting a ... (Goodreads)
The Day of the Locust
by Nathanael West
A study of the dark side of the American Dream, exploring the disappointments and struggles of the have-nots.
Tod Hackett is the novel's protagonist. He moves from the east coast to Hollywood, California in search of inspiration for his next painting. The novel is set in the 1930s during the Great Depression ... (Wikipedia)
The Visit
by Friedrich Dürrenmatt
A wealthy woman makes a fateful decision to exact revenge on the impoverished village that once wronged her.
The story opens with the town of Güllen (a name evoking "liquid manure" in German) preparing for the arrival of famed billionaire Claire Zachanassian, who grew up there. Güllen has fallen on hard ... (Wikipedia)
How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You
by Matthew Inman
Witty and humorous illustrations of a cat's innermost thoughts.
TheOatmeal.com’s most popular cat jokes, including “How to Pet a Kitty” and “The Bobcats,” plus 15 new and never-before-seen cat-themed comics, are presented in this hilarious #1, New York Times , ... (Barnes & Noble)
Welcome to the Monkey House
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
A collection of short stories exploring the absurdities of human life.
Welcome to the Monkey House is a collection of Kurt Vonnegut’s shorter works. Originally printed in publications as diverse as The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and The Atlantic Monthly , ... (Goodreads)
The Loved One
by Evelyn Waugh
Satirical tale of a young man's journey to a funeral home in Los Angeles.
Sir Ambrose Abercrombie visits housemates Dennis Barlow and Sir Francis Hinsley to express his concern about Barlow's new job and how it reflects on the British enclave in Hollywood, which is also ... (Wikipedia)
Possible Side Effects
by Augusten Burroughs
A humorous, darkly satirical look at the pharmaceutical industry and its effects on individuals.
National Bestseller From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Running with Scissors comes Augusten Burroughs's most provocative collection of true stories yet. From nicotine gum addiction to ... (Goodreads)
Carry On, Jeeves
by P.G. Wodehouse
A series of comedic stories filled with eccentric characters, witty banter and outrageous scenarios.
The titles of the first story in this collection—'Jeeves Takes Charge'— and the last—'Bertie Changes His Mind'—sum up the relationship of twentieth-century fiction's most famous comic characters. In ... (Goodreads)
The Far Side Gallery 3
by Gary Larson
Collection of absurd, surreal and darkly humorous cartoons.
The third, Far Side, treasury. 1988 FarWorks, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Far Side and the Larson signature are registered trademarks of FarWorks, Inc. ... (Goodreads)
The Diary of a Nobody
by George Grossmith
A humorous look at the everyday struggles of an ordinary family living in 19th century London.
Mr Pooter is a man of modest ambitions, content with his ordinary life. Yet he always seems to be troubled by disagreeable tradesmen, impertinent young office clerks and wayward friends, not to ... (Goodreads)
We Are Never Meeting in Real Life.
by Samantha Irby
Collection of humorous, honest essays exploring experiences of race, gender, and identity in modern society.
Sometimes you just have to laugh, even when life is a dumpster fire. With We Are Never Meeting in Real Life. , "bitches gotta eat" blogger and comedian Samantha Irby turns the serio-comic essay into ... (Goodreads)
Decline and Fall
by Evelyn Waugh
A satirical comedy of manners, exploring the fall of an irresponsible young man in the British social class system.
Modest and unassuming theology student Paul Pennyfeather falls victim to the drunken antics of the Bollinger Club and is subsequently expelled from Oxford for running through the grounds of Scone ... (Wikipedia)
JPod
by Douglas Coupland
A darkly humorous look at the lives of the twenty-somethings working in the video game industry.
JPod , Douglas Coupland's most acclaimed novel to date, is a lethal joyride into today's new breed of tech worker. Ethan Jarlewski and five co-workers whose surnames begin with "J" are ... (Goodreads)
Gore ot Uma
by Alexander Griboyedov
A satirical comedy of manners that follows a young man’s misadventures in Moscow high society.
"Горе от ума" - одна из первых русских комедий, разодранных на пословицы и поговорки, которыми до сих пор украшена речь всякого мало-мальски начитанного человека. "Горе от ума" - комедия, давшая ... (Goodreads)
Men at Arms: The Play
by Stephen Briggs
A humorous play about a hapless army unit, facing a seemingly undefeatable enemy.
Edward d'Eath, an Assassin and son of a down-and-out noble family, becomes convinced that the restoration of the Ankh-Morpork monarchy will solve the social change in the city which he blames for his ... (Wikipedia)
Fargo Rock City: A Heavy Metal Odyssey in Rural North Dakota
by Chuck Klosterman
A humorous and nostalgic look back at the heavy metal culture of the early 1990s.
Empirically proving that – no matter where you are -- kids wanna rock, this is Chuck Klosterman's hilarious memoir of growing up as a shameless metalhead in Wyndmere, North Dakotoa (population: 498). ... (Goodreads)
The Misanthrope
by Molière
A comedic satire of the French social and political elite, exposing their hypocrisies and vices.
The Misanthrope or Le Misanthrope ou l’Atrabilaire amoureux is a comedy of manners in five acts and in verse. It is one of the best of Molière's plays — and one of the greatest of all comedies — ... (Goodreads)
Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography
by Lemony Snicket
A mysterious narrator's tongue-in-cheek account of his own life, filled with dark humor.
A Warning from the Publisher: Many readers have questions about Lemony Snicket, author of the distressing serial concerning the trials of the charming but unlucky Baudelaire orphans, published under ... (Goodreads)
Island
by Aldous Huxley
A utopian society on a remote island is challenged by the reemergence of human nature.
Englishman William Asquith "Will" Farnaby deliberately wrecks his boat on the shores of the Kingdom of Pala, an island halfway between Sumatra and the Andaman Islands , thus forcing his entry to this ... (Wikipedia)
Scoop
by Evelyn Waugh
A humorous and satirical look at journalistic misadventures in Africa.
Lord Copper, newspaper magnate and proprietor of the "Daily Beast", has always prided himself on his intuitive flair for spotting ace reporters. That is not to say he has not made the odd blunder, ... (Goodreads)
The Alienist
by Machado de Assis
A story of scientific progress, exploring the consequences of modernity.
Published a year after Machado's first major novel,, Memórias Póstumas de Brás Cubas, , "The Psychiatrist" follows the scientific efforts of Dr. Simon Bacamarte ( Simão Bacamarte in the original – ... (Wikipedia)
Revolting Rhymes
by Roald Dahl
Retelling of classic fairy tales with unexpected twists, set in an anarchic landscape.
I guess you think you know this story.,You don't. The real one's much more gory.,The phoney one, the one you know,Was cooked up years and years ago... Do you think Cinderella married the prince and ... (Goodreads)
The Far Side Gallery 4
by Gary Larson
Collection of humorous single-panel cartoons, exploring the absurd and the surreal.
1993 FarWorks, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Far Side and the Larson signature are registered trademarks of FarWorks, Inc. ... (Goodreads)
Thank You for Smoking
by Christopher Buckley
A satire of the tobacco industry, exploring the power of corporate lobbying.
Nick Naylor is the chief spokesman for the Academy of Tobacco Studies, a tobacco industry lobbying firm that promotes the benefits of cigarettes. He utilizes high-profile media events and ... (Wikipedia)
A Woman of No Importance
by Oscar Wilde
Satirical tale of societal expectations of gender roles and class in Victorian England.
Oscar Wilde's audacious drama of social scandal centres around the revelation of Mrs Arbuthnot's long-concealed secret. A house party is in full swing at Lady Hunstanton's country home, when it is ... (Goodreads)
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