Machos out, Softies nicht in! Männliche stereotype Rollenbilder im Wandel, dargestellt im Zerrspiegel von Ironie und Humor

Abstract

This article attempts to present stereotypes regarding men on the basis of selected contemporary humorous (ironic) texts. The concept of stereotypes as being a set of connotative features identifying objects and phenomena within a community’s cultural and linguistic definition and their role in the perception and processing of information, is a starting point for the discussion. The following section presents the essence of humour and irony and the techniques they employ. The empirical section of the paper deals with a variety of formally analysed texts in terms of their subject-matter and the manner in which men are profiled in the selected humorous texts is discussed. The resulting observations and reflections provide a basis for further research into connotation in humorous texts, including irony and stereotypes, as well as in gender analysis.