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She would say that, he's from Melbourne : fun and games with Dame Edna and Barry Humphries

journal contribution
posted on 2009-09-01, 00:00 authored by Deb Verhoeven, B Morris
This article explores the role that urban place and specifically urban comparison play in the public performances of both the comedian Barry Humphries and the character Edna Everage. In developing Claire Colebrook's analysis of satire as a form of humour that is physically and historically located, we argue that the initial success of Humphries’ satire rests on his elaboration of a specific series of geo-social locations. The article then examines the ways in which Edna makes the local her own global, demonstrating how Barry Humphries has progressively modified and internationalised Edna's provincialism so that his satirical cultural project is understandable over five decades and beyond her origins in Melbourne.

History

Journal

Journal of Australian Studies

Volume

33

Pagination

317 - 333

Location

St. Lucia, Qld.

ISSN

1444-3058

eISSN

1835-6419

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

2009, Routledge

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