Laughter in the dark: Irony, black comedy and 'noir' in David Lynch, the Cohen Brothers and Quentin Tarantino
Tuck, G. (2009) Laughter in the dark: Irony, black comedy and 'noir' in David Lynch, the Cohen Brothers and Quentin Tarantino. In: Bould, M., Glitre, K. and Tuck, G., eds. (2009) Neo-Noir. London: Wallflower, pp. 153-168. ISBN 978-1906660178
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While rarely discussed in relation to humour, a general ironic atmosphere permeates much film noir. With neo-noir this tendency towards irony seems even more pronounced. Dark ironic humour is more readily identifiable in these texts, particularly the double coding and surreal representation of violence, terror and pain. This chapter explores the comic representation of neo-noir violence particularly in relation to the two antithetical pairings of irony and nostalgia, and, pastiche and the absurd. It will ask in what respect such laughter in the dark offers a continuation, development or negation of the modernist parody of the original cycle.