Re: HUMOUR: Pronounce This...

En riponse ` Wesley Parish <wes.parish@...>:

>
> The American distinction between the schlemiel and the schlimazel,
> summarized
> in the rule of thumb that says the former spills the soup, the latter is
> the
> one into whose lap it falls, provides a helpful basis for definition.
> The
> schlemiel is the active disseminator of bad luck, and the schlimazel
> its
> passive victim. Or, more sharply defined, the schlimazel happens upon
> mischance, he has a penchant for lucklessness, but the unhappy
> circumstances
> remain outside him, and always suggest the slapstick quality of
> surprise. The
> schlemiel's misfortune is his character. It is not accidental, but
> essential.
> Whereas comedy involving the schlimazel tends to be situational, the
> schlemiel's comedy is existential, deriving from his very nature in
> its
> confrontation with reality.
>
So if I understand correctly, the archetype of the schlemiel is Mr. Bean, while
the archetype of the schlimazel would be Pierre Richard in "La chhvre" (for
those who don't know anything about French cinema, there has been an American
remake of this movie called "Pure Luck", with Martin Short taking the role that
Pierre Richard had in the original version. In the former case, Mr. Bean
provokes himself the inextricable situations where he falls in, while "the
Goat" is just extremely unlucky, putting Murphy's Law to its maximum :)) .

Christophe.

http://rainbow.conlang.free.fr

Take your life as a movie: do not let anybody else play the leading role.