Dark Humor in the Trenches of Gelibolu

Authors : Dilek KANTAR

Pages : 153-166

Doi:10.17518/canakkalearastirmalari.475841

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Publication Date : 2018-10-29

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This paper investigates the use of dark humor in the Anzac soldiers’ diaries and letters  recounting their experiences in the Gelibolu battlefield. It aims to illuminate the  psychological mechanisms and functions of war time humor through a philosophical  perspective. The ideas of selected classical and contemporary philosophers and critics  on the concept of the comic help us understand why many of the most painful and  violent scenes described in the soldiers’ narratives involve dark humor. The texts we  study reveal that not only the Anzacs but also the Turkish soldiers had recourse to  humor sometimes to communicate with the enemy when the trenches between the two  sides could be measured by only a few meters, and at other times to poke fun at the  combative competence of the Anzac soldiers. However, we do not have any personal  accounts of war written by the private Turkish soldier. The Anzacs were better educated  than the Turks and they were encouraged by their superiors to keep diaries throughout  the war. This study aims to illuminate a relatively less known section of the Anzac and  Turkish history which is buried in the unpublished private accounts of the common  soldier.
Keywords : Gelibolu battlefield, Anzac soldiers diaries, dark humor, theory of humor