Abstract:
The formation of groups takes place following the principle of inclusion and exclusion. For this purpose, it is necessary to establish demarcation lines that define the participation criteria. Thus, the effort of group imagination has a fundamental role in the construction of these boundaries, especially making use of stereotypes and comicality. Radek Knapp problematizes these sets of behaviours in his novel Herrn Kukas Empfehlungen and invites us to reflect on demarcation logics. In his novel, the protagonist Waldemar, on a trip from Poland to Austria, begins to be confronted with the modalities of group formation, learning, in a gradual process, to see how symbolic practices impact on the diegetic reality and motivate actions and behaviours. From this clash, a series of comic situations emerges, producing social criticism and revisions of world views. With this in mind, this article discusses three kinds of groups present in the novel: the group of the West, the dominant group and the group of origin. The element that can be identified in the characterization of the three groupings is the presence of laughter.
Key-words:
Radek Knapp; Herrn Kukas Empfehlungen; groupings; comicality