“It seems to be a complicated question”

Humour as Strategy in Scandinavian Facts-of-Life Books

Abstract

This article examines how a selection of Scandinavian children’s books, spanning the 1970s until today, have addressed questions about how babies are made. Previous research has shown that various forms of humour have been used in the dissemination of information on intercourse and conception. In our article, we examine how and why humour is used when presenting adult sexuality in books for children. We consider humour a strategy for taking the edge off this challenging topic. However, this strategy comes with a cost. With reference to critical theory and humour theory, we problematise the strategic use of humour, as it may contribute to the perpetuation of heteronormative notions and patterns. In the article, we assess several recurring tactics, which we have categorised into five forms of humour: transgression of taboos, humorous recognition, absurd humour, naive humour and anthropomorphic humour.