Humor i to nyere norske diktbildebøker: Pling i bollen og 123 for barske barn

Abstract

This article examines visual and verbal humour in two contemporary Norwegian poetry picturebooks for children. The main aim is to study how different types of humour and various poetic devices are expressed through the interplay of words and images. Moreover, the article discusses in which ways the two books represent a continuation and a renewal of classic humour traditions. The theoretical framework mainly consists of intermedial theory, picturebook theory, children’s poetry studies, and studies on literary humour traditions such as nonsense, parody, and the Bakhtinian carnivalesque. The selected books are Pling i bollen: Fine og ufine barnerim (Off One’s Chump: Delicate and Indelicate Children’s Verses) from 2011 by Ingvild Rishøi and Bendik Kaltenborn and 123 for barske barn: Tull med tall (123 for Rough Children: Nonsense with Numbers) from 2020 by Anne Østgaard and Egil Nyhus. The analyses point to examples of both playful and sophisticated interactions between poems and illustrations, suggesting that the picturebook medium includes more diverse combinations of visual and verbal humour compared to traditional illustrated poetry books. In addition, the various types of humour appear to be wilder and coarser than in classic children’s poetry. 123 for barske barn combines pedagogical and aesthetic qualities by featuring nonsense and carnivalesque humour with numbers, while Pling i bollen offers an even wider range of humour by combining satire, parody, and sophisticated nonsense with more playful and carnivalesque qualities. These compounds of humour tend to transgress the classic genre of children’s verse and to include a cross-generational audience.