Philomena Cunk

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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THIS WAS HARDER TO WRITE THAN I EXPECTED
There was a part of me that wanted to just do a light edit of my post about Cunk on Everything: The Encyclopedia Philomena and call it good. But that seemed like cheating. But there are giant parts of it that would work.

Still, I'm borrowing a little here and there from it, just so I don't have to re-invent the wheel. I apologize in advance if you don't appreciate that. Also, let this section serve show more as an all-purpose footnote so no one accuses me of plagiarism.

WHAT'S THE WORLD ACCORDING TO CUNK ABOUT?
It's a history of the world, as much of one as Cunk can fit into 50,000 words with minimal research, anyway. The point is to get it out in time for the holiday season—targeted toward the UK and the US, so it'll predominantly be about the history of that/those cultures, while remaining the sort of history book that recognizes that things happen in parts of the world that aren't dominated by Western Culture.

Also, we're told, that she's taking the innovative approach to history and will be writing chronologically, not alphabetically or by some other standard. Whodathunk it? History in order. I tell you, what this Philomena Cunk is a gutsy maverick.

If you've watched YouTube videos, Instagram reels, or any of the other quick ways we share videos online (with or without copyright infringement), or if you've seen any of the various series/specials on Netflix or
British TV networks that I can't remember the names of, you know what you're getting into with Philomena Cunk. If you haven't, well, that's trickier. It means you’re a reader or something rare like that—Cunk is a fictional documentarian (or at least the presenter of them). her approach to the documentary specials or the history in this book are a combination of naïveté, misunderstandings (especially in mispronunciation/misspellings), and cynicism.

MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS
Doing a deep dive on this would be difficult for two reasons—I read an ARC, so I don't want to quote anything (also, it would be very hard to know when to stop. Ask my wife, after you read the end). The second, and primary reason, is that if I talk too much about things, it'll ruin the jokes for you when you read this (and you really should)

In lieu of that, here are some miscellaneous observations:
* Every time Cunk looks at non-English speaking cultures was a win.
* You'd think that there are only so many jokes you can make about "the Dark Ages" involving the absence of luminescence—and that few of them would be funny. And you'd be wrong on both counts.
* Best WWI humor since Black Adder Goes Forth. I don't know that there's a lot of competition there, but Cunk nailed that material.
* The technology jokes landed every time.
* I'm still chuckling at the phrasing for Caesar's cause of death
* You are going to hear Diane Morgan’s deadpan delivery in your head whether you read this or get the audiobook. Just know that going in. (you likely assumed it that already, so know that you’re right).

IT DID FALTER A BIT
The last chapter, "The Global Globe" started off strong, but as the history got more and more current, the humor changed. Maybe it's that Cunk's particular brand of absurdity requires some distance to really work. However you explain it, this just didn't work for me.

Now, was it funny political humor? Satisfying satire? Yes—I truly appreciated almost all of it. It just didn't feel very Cunk-like. I couldn't "hear" Diane Morgan's voice. If it'd been in another book, I'd have really liked the end of this last chapter. But here? It just felt out of place.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT THE WORLD ACCORDING TO CUNK?
I didn’t see (but maybe overlooked) the writers behind this book listed anywhere—but whoever they were, they deserve a round of applause. Or two.

I chuckled and laughed out loud a lot while reading this. There’s really not much more to say—that’s what they were going for.

My wife doesn't get the appeal of Philomena, I don't know why, I think it's undeniable and obvious. So I really annoyed her by reading lines or paragraphs to my daughter while the three of us were in the same room. Sometimes, I had a stockpile of parts my daughter would like from reading when we weren't in the same room. My kid and I had a lot of fun laughing together at this while my wife just looked at us strangely. I don't share this to give you more insight into our fun little family dynamic—but to say that at least once (maybe three times, but Mrs. Reader denies this) even she laughed.

Seriously, up to the end of the last chapter, this was about as fun as you could want. Since I discovered Dave Barry Slept Here decades ago, I've been a sucker for history comedy—and The World According to Cunk by Philomena Cunk is a great entry in that category. (you might want to skip most of what happens after 1980).

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Grand Central Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this. show less

I listened to Cunk on Everything, by Philomena Cunk (of course!), at a time when it had a double impact on me. I had just tested positive for COVID and was in bed, too foggy of mind to focus on the printed word, but fully capable of listening to a book. It was almost too good! Between the explanations and my brain fog, I think I could feel brain cells dying with every comment Cunk makes. I had to listen in shorter segments than I would have liked, not to mention I laughed until I cried a show more couple times, though admittedly not sure whether at the humor or my loss of future brain use.

I have enjoyed Cunk, and especially her interviews with academics and the like, for quite some time. The ability to keep a straight face throughout everything is a skill even the best comic actors can have trouble with, just look up the Tim Conway elephant joke on the Carol Burnett Show for evidence.

There are a couple things I kept thinking about while I listened to this (twice, I had to listen again when I could enjoy it a bit more). First is simply how intelligent one has to be to pretend to be so dim-witted. Knowing what (and how for that matter) to emphasize in your speech to highlight where the misunderstanding is takes more than just comedic timing. Second, these misguided explanations (or questions in the case of the interviews I so love) usually highlight avenues that can lead a reader/listener/viewer on a sometimes enlightening tangent. To use a term currently used by a group here in the US, it highlights just how faulty "common sense" can be, because many of Cunk's misunderstandings stem from a "common sense" approach to things that are better served with at least a bit of rational thought.

I highly recommend the audiobook of Cunk on Everything, hearing her voice makes the words that much more impactful than simply reading them. Though I imagine if you're familiar with her you hear her voice in your head while reading. And that is a bit of a scary thought.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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WHAT'S CUNK ON EVERYTHING ABOUT?
Funny story (well, a story anyway), last week I was in my doctor's office briefly and the nurse was being nice while she prepared to stab me with a knife (or maybe it was a tiny needle, the witness accounts vary) and she asked me what I was reading. I responded with, "Have you seen that show on Netflix called Cunk on Earth?" She hadn't. Which made the whole small-talk pitch so much harder.

Because if you show more have seen the show (even just a clip or two), this is easy—it's Philomena Cunk's take on just about everything. History, culture, science, art, philosophy, religion, sports, food, and some of the important individuals in those areas. Presented in her idiosyncratic way, of course.

Now, if you haven't watched the show—because you're a reader, or something rare like that—this is trickier. Cunk's approach to the documentary specials on TV or the encyclopedia entries in this book are a combination of naïveté, misunderstandings (especially in mispronunciation/misspellings), and cynicism.

Miscellaneous Observations
I don't know how to talk about this book—especially as it's essentially 1-5 page entries on a wide variety of topics (and that page count is just a guess, I couldn't tell you from my eARC). The topics range from Alexander the Great, the Alphabet, The Alt Right, The Dark Ages, Democracy, Fake News, "Fullosophy," Hair, the iPhone, The Mystery of Life, Sausages, "Weeing in Public," and so on. So, right—forget trying to cover this all intelligibly.

In lieu of that, here are some miscellaneous observations:
* The pacing is a bit odd—the "H" entries are around the fifty percent mark—I've come up with a dozen half-baked ideas/theories/jokes to explain it. It really doesn't matter, but I thought it was odd. I don't care—but it was something I noticed.
* The entry on Jazz is just fantastic.
* There are a couple of running jokes—derogatory comments about the idea of books throughout, repeated use of "Frankingstein" (to describe a certain Mary Shelley character), and that the moon landing was faked. This book doesn't really feel like a vehicle for running jokes, but they work so well.
* The first paragraph about The Oedipus Complex is one of the best things I've read in 2023—the last sentence of that paragraph made me almost laugh out loud (but I was in the waiting room of that doctor's office, so I had to swallow it to prevent strange looks)
* I really didn't think that you could make many jokes about triangles. The authors of this book proved me wrong—and most of them were really funny, too.
* You are going to hear Diane Morgan's deadpan delivery in your head whether you read this or get the audiobook. Just know that going in. (you likely assumed it that already, so know that you're right).
* Mozart and Shakespeare are frequently the targets of jokes—it's not surprising to see them both as topics here. Some of the funniest things I've seen written about both of them are here, too.
* The entry on Xylophones is fantastic—it covers the instrument, the usage of it in alphabet books, the silliness of using it in them (given the pronunciation), and more.

SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT CUNK ON EVERYTHING?
I didn't see (but maybe overlooked) the writers behind this book listed anywhere—but whoever they were, they deserve a round of applause. Or two.

I chuckled and laughed out loud a lot while reading this. There's really not much more to say—that's what they were going for.

My daughter and I have spent months sending various Cunk videos back and forth to each other. But now I've transitioned to reading her bits and pieces of this as I worked through it. I'm not nearly as good as Morgan at delivering the material, I realize. She's probably glad I'm finished. But, man is this a quotable read—it's virtually impossible to resist the urge to share this material.

Whether you go from cover to cover, or dip into it here and there (probably for longer than you intend to)—these brief entries are almost certainly going to be a burst of entertainment for you. Not all of them are going to work for every reader—but never fear, just turn the page and you're probably going to come across one that will.

I had a blast with this—putting this post together took longer than you'd think based on the brevity of it because I kept getting distracted by the book and re-read large chunks of it. I think you will, too. show less

My thanks to NetGalley for the audiobook.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

I really enjoy the persona of Philomena Cunk, and this book does an excellent job of allowing her to show through. Glad I got to read this as an audiobook, Diane Morgan as always, is superb. Without her inflections, I am sure the book would have been rather dull.

That being said, the humor started to wear a bit thin as I wrapped up the book. Half of the enjoyment of watching the Cunk mockumentaries is witnessing the person she is show more interviewing squirm, and that naturally wouldn't translate into a book monologue.

Overall, very funny, made me laugh a bit too much at times, but the book struggled to maintain my interest throughout the whole thing. show less