Turn-of-the-Century Humor at Work | Livestream Zoom

Course Description:

As we entered the 21st century, comic literature took us to satiric, darkly humorous, and absurd places—mostly about the changing world of work. In 1998, Britain's Magnus Mills addressed the incompetence of a few Scottish fence-builders in "The Restraint of Beasts," which was praised by Thomas Pynchon as a "demented wonder." American writer Julie Schumacher published "Dear Committee Members" in 2014, a novel written in the form of academic recommendation letters, memos, and other correspondence that highlighted the inner absurdities of colleges and universities. And, in 2020, Italian author Vincenzo Latronico satirized consumerist expats in Berlin and their digital lives in "Perfection." Join us for laughter and discussion about these three works and the people we've become as the world of work has changed out from under us.