Bodily Humor and Ideologies of Disability in Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key
Shelby Ragan
Publication: Volume 2 Issue 2
Abstract
There is a scarcity of protagonists with disabilities in children’s literature, but one series that has received both critical and popular attention is the Joey Pigza series by Jack Gantos. This paper explores the use of humor in the first book of the series, Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key. Drawing on theories of humor by scholars such as David Russell, Julie Cross, and Roderick McGillis, the paper frames the use of humor, particularly bodily humor, as means of giving a voice to the protagonist as well as critiquing the ideologies around disabilities in education. Ultimately, though, it argues that beyond the critique, the text still reaffirms problematic ideologies about normalcy that undermine the overt critique.
Keywords: Disability Studies, Humor, Ideology, Children’s Literature, Joey Pigza, Jack Gantos
Shelby Ragan (slragan@ilstu.edu) is a fourth-year doctoral student with a concentration in Children’s Literature in the English Department at Illinois State University, USA. Her current research theorizes desire in the young adult romance genre. Her research interests include the intersections of gender and ethics, particularly through feminist ethics of care, as well as constructions of visibility, desire, and relationships in contemporary young adult texts.