IMPORTANT NOTES:
Not everyone finds the same thing amusing!!
It takes intellect to see the humor in some situations, especially satire.
Two broad types of comedy or humor:
*
satire - developed first, in Greece
~ irony: an incongruity of some type; if you've never gone to
The Onion, you may not have experienced modern, written satire.
* romantic comedy - think "sit-coms;" a minor problem develops, but the confusion is solved and "all's well that ends well," in the span of 30 minutes; think mistaken identity; chaos from eavesdropping, etc. The major characteristic of this type of comedy is that the ending is usually happy or satisfying, as opposed to tragedy, which often finds the heroic protagonist (with the tragic flaw) dead or in permanent misery. Although enjoyable and entertaining, this does not often make for meaningful literature (unless it's Shakespeare).
* gallows humor/black humor/dark humor - many different kinds; think of M*A*S*H, if you've ever seen that old show; think of people who tell jokes of events that are decidedly not funny; gallows humor is used when a situation is so awful that one uses laughter to relieve the situation; some examples can be found here
The Darwin Awards, Not all gallows humor involves death, but there are always grim aspects of this type of humor.
OUR focus will primarily be satire, with some gallows humor. For Monday, READ:
"Good Country People" by Flannery O'Connor; keep in mind:
*irony--appearance vs. reality, especially in terms of the Bible Salesman
*name symbolism and double entendre--in the Bible Salesman's name: MANLEY POINTER and in the Freemans
*significance of the protagonist's name: Joy-Hulga
*significance of clichés, used deliberately in the story: "salt of the earth," "good country people"
*look for all manner of irony
Humour Writing Versus Comedy Writing
Similarities and Differences
What
are the similarities and differences between humour and comedy
writing? The words humour and comedy are often used interchangeably.
Both terms have certain elements in common. Both also have certain differences.
Writing humour is not the same as writing comedy.
Usually,
the humorist writes an essay or article or filler that is amusing or funny. The
humorist’s material is intended to be read. On the other hand, the comedy
writer writes material to get laughs, usually in front of a viewing audience.
Comedy writers are best known for writing material for situation comedies,
comedy films, stand-up comics, and sketch comedy.
Humour writing and comedy writing are often based on truth. Both
frequently use the same humour devices, such as irony, satire, exaggeration.
Both use the anecdote and storytelling. Both frequently require
a setup and punchline.
Both use wordplay and the one-liner.
The intention of both is to create a comic effect. The humorist
tends to write about subject matter that is funny. The humorist also writes
about serious subjects or topics with the intent of making them funny. So does
the comedy writer.
Humour writing and comedy writing are in important part of
popular culture. Most magazines and newspapers include humour columns,
articles, and essays. There are bestselling books that use humour and comedy to
entice readers to buy the book. There are popular TV sitcoms and comedy films.
As well, both humour writing and comedy writing can be found on
the Internet. To find humorous articles or columns on the web, check out your
favourite newspaper or magazine. As well, visit the following popular websites:
Despite the similarities, comedy writing and humour writing are
different in certain respects. For starters, most comedy writing is intended to
entertain by provoking laughter, while most humour writing is more subtle and
cerebral, intending to amuse, inform, educate, and persuade the audience to
change its opinion. That being said, often humour writing provokes laughter in
the reader.
Most humour writing is done for print publications, such as
newspapers, magazines, or books. On the other hand, most comedy writing is done
for TV sitcoms, comedy films, comedy sketches, and stand-up comedy.
Unlike
the comedy writer, humor writing can take the form of “filler.” The filler is a
joke, quote, or
short anecdote that is used to fill space at the end of a column or page.
According to “Comedy Writing Secrets”, there is no formula for“filler.” Good filler
is one that the reader will want to quote or share with a friend. Reader’s
Digest receives and endless number of fillers each month from aspiring writers
and humorists. It publishes the best.
Opportunities to write humour or comedy are everywhere. Yet,
before you can write funny or amusing material, you need to know how to write
well. You also need to know how to use the popular humour and comedy devices,
such as irony, satire, exaggeration, the one-liner, and wordplay.
Dick Gregory on the difference between comedy and humor:
Bill Cosby – Dentists:
