Humor as (Un-)Selfing in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, Manhattan and Hannah and Her Sisters

Document Type : Original Research

Authors
Seyyed Mehdi Mousavi 1
Mohammad Masoodi Miyanrostaq 2
1 Assistant Professor of English Literature, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran
2 Graduate Student of English Language and Literature, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran
10.48311/eijh.31.3.6
Abstract
This paper intends to examine Woody Allen’s films from the perspective ofIris Murdoch’s moral philosophy. By exploring the possible relationshipbetween humor and unselfing, we try to highlight the moral dilemmas of thecharacters and the audience’s ironic response to the use of humor. Focusingon three films (Annie Hall, Manhattan, and Hanna and Her Sisters), it isargued that the films depict morally complex scenarios where humor has atherapeutic function as well as a morally ambivalent one. In Manhattan andAnnie Hall, Isaac and Alvy’s form of self-deprecating humor does come offas self-love but it falls short of unselfing. Their self-love is only in the serviceof ego, while on the other hand, Mickey in Hannah and Her Sisters, and Tracyin Manhattan show how considering the singularity of other people’sexperience will help one unself. Mickey is the only character in these threemovies that achieves unselfing through humor and the attendant detachment.If the audience is caught up in the ego trip of the characters, they will miss awhole other level of humor

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References
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The International Journal of Humanities
Volume 31, Issue 3
Summer 2024
Pages 80-91