"Laughter Out of Place"

Book Review # 92238

Anthropology > South American
English > Analysis
Literature

A review of the ethnographical novel "Laughter Out of Place" by Donna M. Goldstein.

2,158 words () | 0 sources | 2005 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper summarizes the main anthropological and societal issues addressed in the novel "Laughter Out of Place" by Donna M. Goldstein. It seeks to further analyze the author's choice of title ("Laughter Out Of Place") and it's importance. Overall, the paper focuses on the injustices and inequality of living in a Rio shantytown.

From the Paper:

"By drawing on her own Jewish background, Goldstein delivers a book chock full of stories she gathered from her informants. Through these stories and additional elaborations she is able to address the issues of race, class, and violence as pertaining to Brazil; Rio in particular. Most of the story-telling is centered around her main consultant Gloria. Gloria works as an empregada for an upper-middle class patroa. To say that this "honest work" provides her with insufficient fiscal earnings is a gross understatement. This servitude is more akin to slave-labor, which is a very relevant juxtaposition. "