Bathos in Literature: Creating and Critiquing It

Introduction: Bathos in Literature

Bathos in literature is a literary device that brings abrupt shifts in tone, often transitioning from the profound or serious to the trivial or comical within a work of literature. This deliberate juxtaposition creates unexpected contrasts, evoking emotional responses ranging from humor to irony. Bathos serves as a powerful tool for authors to manipulate readers’ expectations and engage them emotionally, highlighting the incongruities between the sublime and the mundane in storytelling.

Examples of Bathos in Literature

Example and Reference	Explanation
“The Comedy of Errors” by William Shakespeare	Literary Example: In one scene of “The Comedy of Errors,” the character Dromio of Syracuse delivers an emotionally charged monologue about the hardships and challenges he faces as a servant. He speaks passionately about his difficult life and how he’s mistreated. Just as the audience begins to empathize with him, he concludes his monologue by complaining that his main hardship is having to eat “sour porridge” every day. Explanation as Bathos: Bathos in literature shows its use in this scene involves a sudden shift from Dromio’s intense emotional outpouring to the trivial complaint about his food. The audience is led to believe that Dromio is about to reveal a profound and heart-wrenching struggle, but the revelation of his complaint about porridge is unexpected and humorous. This bathetic moment contrasts deep emotion with a mundane concern, creating a comedic effect.
The Sellout by Paul Beatty	Literary Example: In The Sellout, the protagonist, Bonbon, reflects on the racial discrimination and injustices he faces as a Black man in contemporary America. He narrates a powerful and emotionally charged account of his experiences with racism, police brutality, and systemic inequality. As the reader is drawn into his poignant narrative, Bonbon abruptly digresses to complain about the poor quality of airline peanuts. Explanation as Bathos: The bathetic moment in this passage involves a sudden transition from Bonbon’s serious reflection on racial issues to his trivial complaint about airline peanuts. This shift disrupts the emotional intensity of the narrative, juxtaposing profound social commentary with a humorous and inconsequential observation. It highlights the absurdity of complaining about peanuts in the context of the broader themes of racial injustice.
“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson	Literary Example: In Shirley Jackson’s “The Lottery,” the story builds tension and suspense as the townspeople gather for the annual lottery. The atmosphere is charged with fear and anticipation as the lottery winner is chosen. Just as the tension reaches its peak, the selected winner is revealed to be Tessie Hutchinson, who exclaims, “It isn’t fair, it isn’t right.” Explanation as Bathos: The use of bathos in literature is clear in this short story involves a sudden shift from the intense and foreboding atmosphere to Tessie’s protestation about fairness. Her exclamation disrupts the sense of impending doom with a trivial objection. This bathetic moment is shocking and underscores the disturbing nature of the lottery, as it presents a stark contrast between the gravity of the situation and Tessie’s complaint.
“Noises Off” by Michael Frayn	Literary Example: In the play “Noises Off,” there is a farcical scene where characters are involved in a series of mishaps during a live performance of a play within the play. As chaos ensues on stage, one character attempts to deliver a heartfelt and romantic monologue, expressing his deep love for another character. However, his emotional declaration is constantly interrupted by the physical comedy happening around him, including falling props and characters crashing into each other.   Explanation as Bathos: The bathetic element in this play involves the juxtaposition of the character’s earnest and passionate monologue with the chaotic and slapstick physical comedy occurring simultaneously. The audience is presented with a stark contrast between the character’s emotional depth and the absurdity of the situation, resulting in comedic effect. This bathos highlights the absurdity of life in the theater and the challenges of maintaining serious moments in the midst of chaos.

How to Create Bathos in Literature

1. Establish a Serious or Emotional Tone: Begin your narrative by setting a serious or emotional tone. This can involve describing a profound situation, a character’s deep feelings, or a significant moment.
2. Build Tension or Expectations: Create anticipation and build tension in your narrative to draw readers into the serious or emotional atmosphere you’ve established. Readers should be emotionally invested in the moment.
3. Introduce the Unexpected: Suddenly introduce an unexpected element that contrasts with the serious tone. This can be a humorous observation, a trivial detail, or an absurd event that breaks the tension.
4. Shift to the Mundane or Comical: Transition smoothly from the serious to the mundane or comical element, ensuring that the shift is jarring yet coherent within the context of your narrative.
5. Highlight the Contrast: Emphasize the contrast between the initial seriousness and the unexpected triviality or humor. This sharp juxtaposition will create the bathetic effect, eliciting laughter or irony from your readers.

Benefits of Using Bathos in Literature

1. Emotional Impact: Using bathos in literature allows you to manipulate the emotional journey of your readers. By transitioning from serious or emotional moments to the trivial or comical, you can evoke a range of emotions, including surprise, laughter, or irony, effectively engaging your audience on a deeper level.
2. Reader Engagement: Bathos captures readers’ attention by defying their expectations. The sudden shifts in tone pique their curiosity and encourage them to stay invested in the narrative as they anticipate further surprises.
3. Humor and Entertainment: Using bathos in literature is a valuable tool for injecting humor into your writing. It can provide comedic relief in serious stories, making them more enjoyable and relatable to readers. In comedy, bathos can be used to set up punchlines and deliver unexpected laughs.
4. Character Development: Employing bathos can add depth to your characters. It reveals their complexities by showcasing how they respond to unexpected situations or contrasts between their inner thoughts and outward actions, making them more relatable and human.
5. Narrative Diversity: Bathos adds diversity and versatility to your storytelling toolkit. It allows you to navigate between different emotional registers within a single narrative, enabling you to address serious themes while maintaining reader engagement and interest.

Bathos in Literature and Literary Theories

Theory	Status of Bathos	Use of Bathos
Psychoanalytic Theory	Status: In psychoanalytic literary theory, bathos can be seen as a tool for exploring the inner conflicts and subconscious desires of characters. It delves into the contrast between their profound emotions and trivial actions or thoughts.	Use: Authors can employ bathos to reveal the hidden depths of characters’ psyches. The juxtaposition of emotional intensity with mundane behavior can serve as a window into the characters’ subconscious motivations and repressed emotions.
Structuralism	Status: In structuralist literary theory, bathos can be analyzed as a disruption of binary oppositions and hierarchical structures of meaning. It challenges the binary division between the serious and the trivial.	Use: Bathos can be used to subvert conventional structuralist interpretations by introducing unexpected contrasts. This can lead to new insights and interpretations of literary works by revealing the limitations of structuralist analysis.
Postcolonial Theory	Status: Within postcolonial literary theory, bathos can be examined in the context of cultural clashes and power dynamics. It may reflect the contrast between the gravity of colonial oppression and the superficiality of colonial rhetoric.	Use: Authors from postcolonial regions can employ bathos to critique colonial narratives by exposing the dissonance between colonial rhetoric and the harsh realities of colonialism. This can highlight the deceptions of colonial discourse.
Feminist Theory	Status: In feminist literary theory, bathos can be analyzed as a tool for critiquing gender roles and expectations. It may reveal the absurdity of gender stereotypes and the contrast between societal expectations and individual experiences.	Use: Authors can use bathos to challenge traditional gender norms by highlighting the incongruity between the serious treatment of gender issues and the absurdity of societal gender expectations. This can promote feminist discourse and empower marginalized voices.

Suggested Readings

1. Abrams, M. H. The Mirror and the Lamp: Romantic Theory and the Critical Tradition. Oxford University Press, 1971.
2. Beckett, Samuel. Waiting for Godot. Grove Press, 1954.
3. Kafka, Franz. The Metamorphosis: Exploring Bathos as a Literary Device. Translated by Stanley Corngold, Bantam Books, 1972.
4. Pope, Alexander. The Rape of the Lock: Bathos in Literary Context. Edited by Cynthia Wall, Norton Critical Editions, 2015.
5. Swift, Jonathan. A Modest Proposal: Bathos and Satire. Dover Thrift Editions, 1996.
6. Wilde, Oscar. The Importance of Being Earnest, Dover Publications, 1990.

You may read more on Literary Devices below:

• Comedy: A Literary Device
• Comedy in Literature: Creating and Critiquing It
• Burlesque: A Literary Device
• Burlesque in Literature: Creating and Critiquing