This thesis focuses on narrative empathy and how it can be evoked through the use of the narrative techniques of humor, characterization and first-person narration. I argue that these narrative techniques together enhance the emotional and empathetic responses the reader can have toward narratives. While characterization and first-person narration have been examined and discussed in this context, the use of humor has not yet been analyzed. This thesis highlights the role of humor as a part of the construction of the relationships between the characters, as well as their personalities, and demonstrates the effects it can have on the reader.
The analysis was conducted through a close reading of Emily Henry’s novels Funny Story (2024) and People We Meet on Vacation (2021) that focused on pieces of dialogue and narration from the narratives. The theoretical framework of this thesis relies on Suzanne Keen’s research on narrative empathy, but also utilizes secondary sources that have examined narrative techniques, humor, characters and characterization, narration and reader response. Additionally, this thesis discusses the genre of the novels, chick lit, and its connection to reader response, the subjectivity of reading, and narrative empathy.
This thesis finds that the way the reader perceives the use of humor affects how they connect to the narrative, its events and its characters. Both Funny Story and People We Meet on Vacation utilize humor, such as inside jokes, that create in-groups of both the characters and the reader, resulting in a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of the relationships, and emotional and empathetic responses in the reader. Furthermore, this thesis argues that the novels portray their central characters as complex, coherent and nuanced, which enhances the reader’s sense of connection to the narratives. To conclude, this thesis finds that the narrative techniques of humor, characterization and first-person narration have a key role in evoking empathetic responses in the reader.
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