BookTalk.org

Don't feel bad Olivia, I also do not typically get British humor (I detest Monty Python for example), I have been enjoying the book so far though. It is an easy read which is nice and I really appreciated Giselle's comments about the author's hints of atheism in the book in the earlier scenes. I enjoyed the humor particurlarly the parallels between the Earth being destroyed and Arthur's house for the same reason. Arthur did try and look at the plans, even though the were hard to find in the basement, with no lights and he had to bring his own flashlight

I enjoyed the comments on towels as well and the author's sense of humor, but I'm finding it a little difficult to keep everything straight at the moment as he keeps adding new peoples, planets, characters and the characters often have purposes exactly opposite of what you think they will, the President of the Imperial Galactic Government for example. Excellent satire though. I usually don't read a lot of science fiction but I think I will enjoy this book and get more out of from the discussion than I probably would otherwise.

Sal wrote:

I also do not typically get British humor (I detest Monty Python for example),

I haven't ever liked Monty Python type humour either, and I am English. My husband and sons used to fall about laughing and still do though. I think there is more of the 'male' of the species humour going on.

Humour in books can be difficult. When I ran a bookgroup (Housewives Register) we were always quite divided as to what we thought was funny. I didn't think Jane Austen was funny at all until I saw the stories performed.

I think possibly Hitchhikers might be be easier for you to follow if you saw the film, as at least then you would know the characters as they came up in the book. I think I saw the film first, then went on to read all five in the series. Even then I think they are more amusing than laugh-out-loud funny.

I never got Monty Python. I always thought it was stupid. Even though I did think "Spamalot", the Broadway musical based on Monty Python, was funny. Some things only work in musical form I guess.

Pamala, I think you're right about humor in book. It can be difficult. I didn't think Jane Austen was suppose to be funny though. Am I missing something there?

sal10e wrote: I enjoyed the comments on towels as well and the author's sense of humor, but I'm finding it a little difficult to keep everything straight at the moment as he keeps adding new peoples, planets, characters and the characters often have purposes exactly opposite of what you think they will, the President of the Imperial Galactic Government for example. Excellent satire though. I usually don't read a lot of science fiction but I think I will enjoy this book and get more out of from the discussion than I probably would otherwise.

I think one of the hallmarks of Adams humour is 'reductiveness' (I'm sure that is not a word!) ... anyway, Adams has a great talent for reducing his points to the essential and I think the 'towel' is symbolic of this .. I mean, really, if you are traveling the universe, why would you need anything more than a towel and a guide?

I don't read much sci-fi either, but I don't really read Hitchhikers as science fiction. Sure its got lots of aliens and weird planets and gadgets and spaceships but I think all of this is merely a vehicle for Adams to deliver broader themes, e.g. environmentalism, atheism and putting humanity into perspective. Although, I'm sure science fiction broadly speaking might also deal on these themes, but I wouldn't know. Back to reductiveness, I think he is asking us to consider fundamental and complex questions about human existence by reducing them down to the plainest and most essential and tying it up with humour which is mocking, satirical and self-deprecating.

I love Monty Python and have great childhood memories of sitting up late at night (after 11!) with my dad to watch Monty Python. It wasn't exactly prime time TV, obviously, but I think its interesting that Python is still talked about (love it or hate it) when other prime time stuff has long faded into the past. We have British background and I think this helps Monty Python humour go down better. But there's always exceptions to the rule, right Penny?

giselle, I note it was you and your Dad. Unless your Mum was like me, and just loved to watch her boys laughing.

I don't think women enjoyed it as much anyway.

Olivia said:
I didn't think Jane Austen was suppose to be funny though. Am I missing something there?

It's supposed to be ironic humour! It is said that Americans don't get irony. Well, neither do I.

Penelope wrote:giselle, I note it was you and your Dad. Unless your Mum was like me, and just loved to watch her boys laughing.

I don't think women enjoyed it as much anyway.

You may well be right about the 'gender preference' here .. certainly I don't recall my mom watching Monty Python much.

Speaking of female, I like the name 'Trillian", if I'd had a daughter I might have named her Trillian (poor girl). I note as well that Trillian is a near-composite of her first and last names on earth, Tricia MacMillan.

Excellent points being made here. There should be a lot of synergy between other British television shows as he did some writing and made minor appearances on Monty Python and did writing for Dr. Who. He also described himself as a 'radical atheist', so that shouldn't be surprising, either. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_adams for references.

I had completely forgotten that this started as a radio program! Thanks for bringing that up. I've read the book, seen the TV show and the movie. But will have to listen to the radio program.

Also very refreshing is the simple way that Arthur Dent treat the ridiculousness that surrounds him. Just one day, crazy stuff starts to happen, and as another commenter pointed out, he's just trying to get by given all the craziness. In some ways, it's too much: would anyone really be so calm under the circumstances? but on the other hand, how else could a person react without loosing their mind.

Hello Ginof, Welcome to the discussion and I hope you enjoy. I also hope you are male as there are mostly female participants on this one, and that is very unusual for these forums.

In some ways, it's too much: would anyone really be so calm under the circumstances? but on the other hand, how else could a person react without loosing their mind.

I don't think Arthur gets the chance to panic, as the catastrophe happens so suddenly. Of course, the book, says in calm letters on the front 'DON'T PANIC' - and that is bound to make a great difference, not.

He might have felt safe because, how could anything bad happen to him in his pyjamas (when my sons were young they both wanted 'Arthur Dent' pyjamas for Christmas) and with his towel? It reminded me of that episode in 'Smash' when they were unpacking the newly delivered supplies, and the conversation went:

'No, Shuttlecocks. They haven't sent shuttlecocks!'

'No, How can we be expected to fight a war without shuttlecocks!'

In fact, the humour in HHG reminds me of the humour in Mash in many ways. I don't think there is a camp character in HHG though.

no men following this thread?! that seems absurd to me as I aways thought of the HHG as a geeky dude book!

Glad to see i am wrong!



It's hard to believe that "Don't Panic" and a towel would make someone so calm. But, perhaps that's the point. We just don't know they work so well as we haven't had this crisis on earth (yet!)

Oh there is one other man! At least now he isn't completely outnumbered.

ginof:

It's hard to believe that "Don't Panic" and a towel would make someone so calm.

Arthur isn't exactly calm, but he is more exasperated than panic stricken. It is like calling the wars in foreign parts, 'a bit of local difficulty', I suppose. I think that we British are inclined to underplay great tragedy, like if one has a terminal illness, we'll say, Oh, isn't it a nuisance?' but if we break a fingernail, we say, 'Oh,the tragedy, I could just die, I'm devastated, darling'.

We laugh at the things that scare us most. Like the Victorians had loads of jokes and comic sketches about undertakers, funerals and death. And we giggled at the instructions given out by our Government during the cold war, and the Cuban Crisis. If they dropped a nuclear bomb, we were told to cover our windows with brown paper during the three minute warning: 'Shelter under the table' they said......as if we wouldn't stand stiff and scream if we were busy wallpapering the windows.