The Power of the Supernatural and the Wish for Death in the Comic Genre: "Un marido de ida y vuelta" (1939), de Jardiel Poncela, and "Blithe Spirit" (1941), de Noel Coward
Abstract
This article undertakes a comparative study of Un marido de ida y vuelta, de Enrique Jardiel Poncela, y Blithe Spirit, de Noel Coward, two works in which love turns out to be impossible from within the bosom of marriage life, and only after one of the spouses dies can happiness be achieved. I deal with the disturbing presence of mediums, ghosts and paranormal experiences which, from a comical standpoint, evolve from the initial astonishment to their progressive assimilation in ordinary life, thus making death desirable as a positive alternative to the dull upper-class lifestyle. Under the influence of the wit and humour which characterize these works, the topics belonging to the inner fantastic become subverted, and thus they get integrated into the aesthetics of the unlikely.
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