The Dreadnought and the Rhetoric of Unlaughter

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2016

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Abstract

This paper examines the metadiscourse of the 1910 Dreadnought hoax, one of the most notorious practical jokes of the twentieth century. “Unlaughter” refers to those moments when supportive laughter would normally be expected but does not occur. I argue that the leader of the hoaxers courted unlaughter from some sources because to him it confirmed that the joke was a success. In other words, unlaughter is not always a sign of failure, and a successful joke may be one in which unlaughter is not avoided, but actively provoked and managed.

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Paper delivered at the annual meeting of the American Folklore Society, Miami, October 2016

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Humor; Practical Jokes

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