The carnivalesque in selected short stories by Deborah Eisenberg and Wells Tower
The dissertation deals with contemporary American short stories and the analysis of the application of the concept of the carnivalesque to both formal and thematic aspects in the works of two prominent American short story writers Deborah Eisenberg and Wells Tower. While Tower ́s stories show billingsgate and grotesque features, as well as parodic and ironic inversions and dark humour, the Bakhtinian carnivalesque atmosphere of festive celebration that counters the dominant culture is lost. Deborah Eisenberg on the other hand encompasses well the dialogic, polyphonic and heteroglossic aspect present in Bakhtin’s theories, with interesting parodic inversions. However, even her stories cannot be termed as carnivalesque, at least not in the truly Bakhtinian sense of the word. The analysis conducted therefore reveals that analyzing these contemporary short stories following a strictly Bakhtinian perspective of the carnivalesque is impossible, and although it bears fruit in some aspects, the reevaluation of some of Bakhtin ́s basic principles is needed to suit the disenchanted requirements of modern times.