Summary of the chapter The Joke
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Czech writer Milan Kundera’s novel The Joke (1967) centers on Ludvik Jahn, a sarcastic man prone to jokes, and the way his actions affect those around him. The novel is told from four perspectives—that of Jahn and three people he comes into contact with: his frequent victim Helena, devout Christian Kostka, and Moravian patriot Jaroslav. The book serves as a satire of the repressive nature of the Czech Communist party. Thematically, it explores the humorless nature of Eastern Bloc authoritarianism, as well as the ways in which small actions can spiral through a lifetime. The book is considered one of the defining works of mid-twentieth-century Eastern European literature. It was first translated into English in 1969, but Kundera was critical of the translation and a more faithful version was reissued in 1982. Adapted into a 1968 film by director Jaromil Jires, it was banned after the Warsaw Pact invasion that led to more repressive policies in the country.
Czech writer Milan Kundera’s novel The Joke (1967) centers on Ludvik Jahn, a sarcastic man prone to jokes, and the way his actions affect those around him. The novel is told from four perspectives—that of Jahn and three people he comes into contact with: his frequent victim Helena, devout Christian Kostka, and Moravian patriot Jaroslav. The book serves as a satire of the repressive nature of the Czech Communist party. Thematically, it explores the humorless nature of Eastern Bloc authoritarianism, as well as the ways in which small actions can spiral through a lifetime. The book is considered one of the defining works of mid-twentieth-century Eastern European literature. It was first translated into English in 1969, but Kundera was critical of the translation and a more faithful version was reissued in 1982. Adapted into a 1968 film by director Jaromil Jires, it was banned after the Warsaw Pact invasion that led to more repressive policies in the country.
Jahn enters his hometown Morava with a specific goal in mind, but his goals are hardly admirable or heroic. Along his way, he sees a woman whom he was once deeply in love with and flashes back to his past. The book is told in a non-linear fashion, the majority spent in the past as the reader learns how events that took place during Jahn’s adolescence made him the man he is today. When he was a teenager, Jahn thought he had his life fully planned out. He was dating a girl named Marketa and was loyal to the Socialist party. He went to university and planned to apply for a high-level government position upon graduation. He was smart and talented, although he occasionally ran into trouble in school for being an independent thinker, which was not encouraged among party members