Comparing Nashrudin Hoja, Juha and Mullah Nashrudin: Finding Out Humor in Middle East Culture

Abstract

The name of Nashrudin Hoja seems to be recognized by people in the world with their humorous anecdotes. Some research have studied Nashrudin Hoja with historical approach. This article use approach of humor and semiotic of fiction. From the analysis, is concluded that the figure of Nashrudin Hoja and Juha are real while character of Mullah Nashrudin is fictional. All stories of Nashrudin Hoja, Juha and Mullah Nashrudin contain humorous elements with different shapes and types. The stories of Nashrudin Hoja and Juha are anecdotes styled because the characters are real even though the stories do not necessarily exist, while the stories of Mullah Nashrudin are more fictional. The text of Mullah Nashruddin is more complex and difficult to understand, because the text aims to convey certain teachings to the readers through humor. Meanwhile, the texts of Nashrudin Hoja and Juha are merely more entertainment than for the educative purposes.