“If in doubt, always comical”: the theatre of Elfriede Jelinek

Abstract

The comical dimension is a neglected aspect of the Brazilian reception of Elfriede Jelinek’s work, despite receiving more and more prominence in international academic works. The purpose of this paper is to argue that the comical potential is not a secondary factor in the work of the Austrian writer, but essential in the context of her political-enlightening project. In this sense, this paper presents some possible approaches to several categories of the comical that can be identified in Jelinek’s theatre texts. The arguments are based on examples of four pieces written by Jelinek, all thematizing the role of women in a patriarchal and capitalist society.