The definition of comedy has been contested for many years, as it is notoriously difficult to determine. Eric Weitz notes that “a general intention to elicit laughter or amusement remains the signature element of what we consider a comic text.” Laughter is notably the reaction most associated with comedy. We often laugh when we find something humorous. However, the definition of humour is just as problematic as that of comedy, as “no two people will always agree on what constitutes ‘successful’ humour.” Eric Weitz suggests that we “note the conditions generally present when someone does find something funny. This allows us to sketch a general image of what [he terms] the ‘humour transaction’.”
While a certain degree of humour can be achieved in the text alone, L. J. Potts emphasises the importance of tone, expression, and gesture when telling a comic story and points out that “the comic writer has to put his work into a form which will make it as difficult as possible for anyone to spoil it in the reading.” In his “Laughter,” Henri Bergson studies laughter, particularly laughter derived from comedy and emphasises that “the comic does not exist outside the pale of what is strictly human... You may laugh at an animal, but only because you have detected in it some human attitude or expression” Clearly our connection to our own humanity can be said to be a source of humour. This essay will aim to demonstrate how, through an examination of Bergson’s “Laughter” and using examples from Alan Ayckbourn’s Absurd Person Singular and Lady Gregory’s Spreading the News, humour is derived from a deviation from what is considered ‘human’ and is heavily dependent on performance skills. This will point the way toward a more astute comic emb...
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...on’s Laughter helps to point the way towards a more astute embodiment of dramatic text.
Works Cited
Ayckbourn, Alan. Absurd Person Singular in Three Plays. New York: Grove, 1975.
Bergson, Henri. “Laughter” in Comedy: 'An essay on comedy', [by] George Meredith; 'Laughter', Henri Bergson. London: Johns Hopkins University P., 1980.
Blistein, Elmer M. Comedy in Action. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1964.
Grawe, Paul H. Comedy in Space, Time and the Imagination. Chicago: Nelson-Hall, 1983.
Gregory, (Lady) Augustus. Spreading the News in Selected Writings. Ed. by Lucy McDiarmid and Maureen Waters. London: Penguin, 1995.
Potts, L.J. Comedy. Hutchinson, 1966.
Weitz, Eric. The Cambridge Introduction to Comedy. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009.
Weitz, Eric. The Power of Laughter: Comedy and Contemporary Irish Theatre. Dublin: Carysfort Press, 2004.
According to Aristotle, “Comedy can be any colloquy or performance generally intended to amuse or stimulate laughter”. In modern times, comedy can be found in different forms, such as television, movies, theatres and stand-up comedy.
Thoughtful laughter is a technique used frequently in satirical pieces in literature. It allows for the audience to enjoy the wittiness of a work, later ponder on the meaning, and then apply the message to reality. Thoughtful laughter is often an inner experience that can only be achieved by authors who write meticulously. Two examples of satirical works in literature that display this concept explicitly are Voltaire’s Candide and C.S. Lewis’ The Screwtape Letters. Both authors explore the depths of satire and simultaneously deliver an important message to readers through skillful technique.
Psychologists, sociologists and anthropologists study humor because it is a fundamental culture value, but they still can’t determine why certain things make some people laugh and others not. There are “humor quotient” tests that are designed to measure an individual’s sense of humor, but these tests are questionable. These tests aren’t accurate because almost all humor depends on cultural background knowledge and language skills. Not every person in the whole world, or even in one country share the same background knowledge and skills, therefore they cannot have the same type of humor. “The fact remains that individuals vary in their appreciation of humor” (Rappoport 9). Since humor varies from individual to individual, humor lies in the individual. How successful or funny a joke is depends on how the person receives the joke, humor cannot be measured by a statistical
Steve Almond’s “Funny is the New Deep” talks of the role that comedy has in our current society, and most certainly, it plays a huge role here. Namely, through what Almond [Aristotle?] calls the “comic impulse”, we as a people can speak of topics that would otherwise make many of uncomfortable. Almond deems the comic impulse as the most surefire way to keep heavy situations from becoming too foreboding. The comic impulse itself stems from our ability and unconscious need to defend and thus contend with the feeling of tragedy. As such, instead of rather forcing out humor, he implies that humor is something that is not consciously forced out from an author, but instead is more of a subconscious entity, coming out on its own. Almond emphasizes
Humor is more than just amusing entertainment to pass the time. Though jokes and witty banter can be shallow, humor can go deeper than surface level to convey messages to audiences who would otherwise be close-minded about certain ideas. Humor is a great tool to get audiences to change the way they think, feel, and act. In “Saying Goodbye to Yang,” Alexander Weinstein uses humor to criticize some of society’s faults such as the way it has become heavily reliant on technology, racially insensitive, and judgmental.
In Alain de Botton’s book, Status Anxiety, he argues that the aim of humorists is not solely entertainment, but also to convey a message that isn’t always okay to state directly. There are many places where his argument can apply. Even with humor, some topics are still too controversial to joke about; However, in most cases, humor can lighten things up and make it easier to discuss topics that otherwise would not be as easy to talk about without heavy arguments. There are many cases that would make his argument true. There are many examples that support his argument, and that help to show the importance of humor in arguing, including cartoons, comics, works of literature, and also when thinking of hosts of television programs.
Now that this distinction has been made, the issue of humor in modern and post modern l...
Laughter is an interesting topic. Mainly because of the lack of thought that goes with it as to why we laugh. In an article titled Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic by Henri Bergson, the theory behind why things are funny is explored. He mentions many different things in his article pertaining to the comic, however, there are a few that stand out more than others. He talks directly about the fact that things are only funny if they relate to humans. Then he touches on the idea that accidents are funnier than planned events. Finally, he speaks on laughter being directly related to social setting. The 1992 film Noises Off is a perfect demonstration of everything that Bergson writes about. Henri Bergson’s essay on laughter is perfectly supported by the film Noises Off.
3. Apte, Mahadev L. Humor and Laughter: An Anthropological Approach. Ithaca, NY: Cornell UP, 1985.
Grill, Stefanie. (2001). Comic effects in ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ by Oscar Wilde. Auflage.
Comedy differs in the mood it approaches and addresses life. It presents situations which deal with common ground of man’s social experience rather than limits of his behaviour – it is not life in the tragic mode, lived at the difficult and perilous limits of the human condition.
Australian humour is very unique to Australia, and many other cultures find it quite unusual. It can be described as dry, anti-authoritarian, self-mocking, very ironic and as to stretch the boundaries of what is acceptable. Our humour is seen through our use of slang, print cartoons, radio sketches, comedy series’ on television, films, everyday life and in Australian literature. According to the Collins Dictionary and Thesaurus , humour means, “The quality of being funny; the ability to appreciate or express that which is humorous; situations, speech or writings that are humorous”. Due to its unique qualities, it will become apparent that Australian humour is quiet different to that of America and England and other nations. To highlight the importance of humour through the development of Australian identity, five main elements have been identified. These are, the part Australian humour plays in Australian identity, its unique qualities, its integral part in the Australian identity, the role of humour in times of great hardship and other nation’s perceptions of Australian humour. It is through these elements that it will become evident that humour is an important part of the development of the Australian identity.
Characters in comedy and tragedy are generally quite different. Comic characters are (or used to be) lower class individuals (Aristotle, Goldsmith). Indeed this is the case with t...
If there is one way to bring a smile to someone’s face, it is laughter. Funny jokes, comical stunts, sarcasm- Every person is different when it comes to what makes them laugh. Some find dry humor comical. Others think sarcasm or joke-filled ranting are the best. ‘Comedy’ is such a broad term, broad enough to allow everyone to find something they find comical. In fact, ‘comedy’ includes a specific type of drama, one where the protagonist is joyful and happy endings are expected. Comedy is like a drug; it allows you to escape reality. When we say the word ‘comedy’ in the present, we are generally referring to a type of performance which provides humor. However, in its broadest sense, comedy has only one purpose: comedy makes people smile and
Humor has been the source of entertainment throughout history. Today humor is practiced in movies, plays, songs, television shows and radio. Humor has brought fame and fortune to those who have mastered its power.