INTRODUCTION TO COMEDY AND HUMOR



|INTRODUCTION TO COMEDY AND HUMOR |

|English I G/T |

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I. What is Comedy?

A. Broadly defined – any amusing or entertaining work

B. More narrowly defined – an amusing or entertaining drama

C. In contrast to tragedy…

1. Generally represents the experiences of ordinary people

2. Uses common or vernacular language

3. Ends happily

II. Elements and Characteristics of Comedy

A. Includes humor

1. Henri Bergson classified six elements that are required for something to be

humorous:

a. it must appeal to the intellect rather than the emotions

b. it must be mechanical (unconscious or unthinking – it’s how nature works)

c. it must be inherently human, with the capability of reminding us of humanity

d. there must be a set of established societal norms with which the observer is familiar, either through everyday life or through the author providing it in expository material, or both

e. the situation and its component parts (the actions performed and the dialogue spoken) must be incongruous, inconsistent or unsuitable to the surrounding or associations (i.e., the societal norms)

f. it must be perceived by the observer as harmless or painless to the participants.

B. Celebrates man’s ability to endure no matter how many times life knocks him down

C. Usually involves repetition, inversion, and reciprocal interference (situations that simultaneousl affects two series of events and leads to two different interpretations at the same time – think puns)

III. Comedic Classifications

A. romantic – has a pair (or pairs) of lovers as the center of interest

B. satiric – has a critical purpose, attacking philosophical or political notions through ridicule. Satiric comedies may also direct ridicule at those who depart from societal rules and norms or at meddlesome characters who somehow interfere with a pair of lovers.

C. rogue – classified by entertaining the audience with the antics of clever but congenial miscreants

D. sentimental –focus is on middle class characters that triumph over evil or immorality with their virtues still intact

E. low – typically rely on crude or the obvious to produce laughter; they include situation comedies, farce, and slapstick

F. high – typically rely heavily on intellectual issues, viewpoints, and the incongruities that they produce; they often tend to emphasize humanity’s foibles; they are often serious in purpose and satiric in nature; it includes the comedy of manners and the comedy of ideas

IV. Comedic Characters

A. Aristotle terms the “ridiculous” comic characters as those who are well-born but are pompous or full of self-import instead of being noble

B. Aristotle’s “sympathetic” comic figures are frequently underdogs, who come from a humbled or disadvantaged place and proves their real worth through tests of character

C. Imposters – often thwart the hero to win the female (Robert de Niro in Meet the Parents)

D. Self-deprecators – often includes the hero, the hero’s helper, the retreating parental figure

E. Buffoons – fools and clowns (Kramer from Seinfeld)

F. Churls –characterized by being miserly, snobbish, and a kill-joy

V. Comedic Techniques

A. bathos – the descent into mundane or sentimental language by a writer who is striving for the noble and elevated.

B. bombast – Inflated, extravagant, often ranting language

C. euphemism – The substitution of a less offensive expression or a description of something or someone rather than the name, to avoid revealing secret, holy, or sacred names to the uninitiated, or to obscure the identity of the subject from eavesdroppers

D. incongruity – surprising, illogical, or unexpected juxtaposition of ideas or situations

E. innuendo – an oblique allusion or hint often veiling a reflection on character or reputation. In other words, it is an indirect remark about somebody or something, usually suggesting something bad or rude

F. irony – a contradiction or incongruity between appearance or expectation and reality. There are three types: dramatic (in which the audience is aware of something that the characters involved are not), situational (in which things don’t turn out as expected), and verbal (in which one thing is said, but another is meant).

G. malapropism – the erroneous substitution for the correct word of a word similar in sound but very different in meaning. Ex: In Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible the following examples appear: “I prefer to remain anomalous” for anonymous or “we Christians have [a] system of marriage called monotony” for monogamy.

H. pun – a play on words that capitalizes on the similarity of spelling and/or pronunciation between words that have different meanings; or a pun may also employ one word that has multiple meanings

I. repartee – a rapid and witty response in conversation, especially one that turns an insult back on its originator; or a succession of such replies in a dialogue.

J. sarcasm – intentional derision generally directed at another person and intended to hurt. It usually involves obvious, even exaggerated verbal irony, achieving its effect by jeeringly stating the opposite of what is meant (for instance, false praise) so as to heighten the insult

K. stichomythia – single lines or half-lines are given to alternating characters, building rhythmic intensity with quick, biting retorts

L. tom foolery – foolish or silly behavior, including horseplay and silliness

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