COMEDY OF IDEAS



|COMEDY OF IDEAS | |

| |At this level, the characters argue about important issues like war, gender, marriage, religion, class, and government. Different |

| |views on the issues are pitted against each other in a display of wit (or lack of). The comedy looks at the foolish ideas behind an |

| |issue and ridicules the thinking and approach to the debate. Satire is a type of comedy of ideas; it is often irreverent and |

| |challenges the conventional thinking on issues. |

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| |Examples: M*A*S*H, Monty Python, occasionally The Simpsons, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart |

|COMEDY OF MANNERS | |

| |Sometimes defined as “the amorous intrigues of the aristocratic classes.” Using Clever insults, put-downs, puns, paradoxes, and |

| |epigrams this type of comedy revolves around wit and verbal banter and wordplay. Often it doesn’t hesitate to sacrifice a character’s |

| |sensitivity to the cause of witty dialogue. Characters are usually divided into 3 different groups: the true wits, the would-be wits, |

| |and the witless. |

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| |Examples: Will and Grace, Frasier, Bridget Jones’ Diary, Two Weeks Notice |

|FARCE | |

| |This type of comedy is built on mistaken identities, coincidences, and mistimings. Characters are often under the influence of fate |

| |and have little control over it. Also employs coincidences, doublings, or obstacles – such as twins, busybody parents, unhappy |

| |engagements, and marriage that happen at just the wrong time. Money and class often shape the action. |

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| |Examples: Maid in Manhattan, Twins, Austin Powers, That ‘70s Show |

|LOW COMEDY | |

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| |Laughter at this level usually involves the dirty joke, dirty gesture, or body parts or functions. This comedy often uses physical |

| |mishaps, pratfalls, slapstick, and loud collisions. |

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| |Examples: Three Stooges, Dumb and Dumber, Billy Madison, Blue Collar TV, Saturday Night Live / MAD TV Sketches |

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