Lora Popova

Slyness, Stupidity and Laughter in Bai Ganyo

The paper examines the interrelations slyness – laughter, stupidity – laughter. The most common acts of slyness and stupidity in the book, Bai Ganyo, are sought through the construction of the chains: slyness – intelligence – wisdom, stupidity – intelligence – wisdom.

The supported standpoint is that in the Bulgarian literature the image of the frank fool (except for The Three Fools by Elin Pelin) is missing while it is crowded with sly people. The Bulgarian thinks, understands and uses slyness as an approach to the field of prestige; he links it with the meaningful complex of the healthy, vital, positive, good, while stupidity is experienced as a social, ethical and esthetic deprivation, as an inferiority, a folly. Therefore in the ideological system of the Bulgarian the fool is regarded as harmful to society.

Slyness is a practical common sense; the sly person is a tactician, but his acts do not lead to a constructive change, to a change of the content of the situations. However, even without asserting “global projects” but making “hits”, slyness turns out to be attractive, while stupidity does not. Stupidity makes a person vulnerable and ridiculous, isolates him, therefore laughter is affirmed as a sanctioning procedure.