Criticizing Barks's swimming pool story???

Daniel van Eijmeren dve at kabelfoon.nl
Tue Apr 6 04:49:23 CEST 2004


MATTHEW WILLIAMS to me, 06-04-2004:
 
> I'm mostly joking about the swimming pool story.  It is a good 
> one. I do think that comical mishaps can sometimes be more 
> frustrating than funny.  I almost feel too sorry for Donald in 
> the swimming pool story to fully enjoy the comedy of the tale.

I feel sorry for Donald, too. But life is sooo recognizable in this 
story! That makes his suffering all worth to me. :-) Just look at 
the way Donald is coping with his selfish neighbourhood, and how the 
people are interacting among each other.

For me, THAT'S real life, or at least a very sarcastic, cynical view 
of it. And I see Barks as an artist who used a lot of sarcasm and 
cynism in his stories. But (almost) always in a funny, comical way.

In the swimming pool story, almost everyone is upset and frustrated, 
only because of a swimming pool. And this time, Donald hasn't done 
anything wrong! All he did wrong was being friendly and open to people. 
But no one respects him that way. They don't care about his limits. 
They just run over him, straight to his new swimming pool. Ain't it a 
gag?

Stories like this one help me believe that I'm not the only sucker in 
this world. Or at least, that Barks was someone who also saw what I'm 
seeing from to time, in my daily life. It happens remarkably often.

BTW. Are there any other Barks stories in which Donald is equally 
punished for being innocent and helpful?

--- Daniël

"WHEN, oh, WHEN is Unca' Donald going to give up?"
(Which Barks story?) :-)




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