The Joke (Masterplots II: World Fiction Series)
At a glance:
- Author: Milan Kundera
- First Published: 1967
- Type of Work: Comic realism
- Time of Work: 1947-1965
- Setting: Czechoslovakia
- Principal Characters: Ludvik Jahn, Marketa, Pavel Zemanek, Helena, Lucie Sebetka, Kostka, Jaroslav
- Genres: Long fiction, Psychological fiction
- Subjects: 1950’s, 1960’s, Communism or communists, Politics, Prisoners, Love or romance, 1940’s, Revenge, Folklore, Jokes, Czechoslovakia or Czechoslovakians
- Locales: Czechoslovakia
The Novel
Set in Communist Czechoslovakia, The Joke relates the serious consequences of a frivolous message that a university student sends his girlfriend by postcard: “Optimism is the opium of the people! A healthy atmosphere stinks of stupidity! Long live Trotsky! Ludvik.” The Joke is divided into seven parts, with each part narrated in the first person by one of the main characters except for part 7, which is narrated alternately by three characters.
Parts 1 and 2, both brief and set in 1965, show Ludvik Jahn and Helena preparing for their...
[The entire page is 2254 words long]
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