WHAT IS HUMOR?an introduction to

humor in literatureand in our lives

WE HEAR THE WORD ‘HUMOR’ ALL THE TIME…

But what does it mean?

According to the Random House Dictionary, humor is defined as a comic, absurd, or incongruous quality causing amusement.

WHAT DO WE THINK IS FUNNY?

5 RHETORICAL CATEGORIES…

1. HYPERBOLE = EXAGGERATION FOR EFFECT

(OVERSTATEMENT OR UNDERSTATEMENT)

EX. CARICATURE = AN EXAGGERATION OF A PERSON OR ARCHETYPE

2. INCONGRUITY/REVERSAL: “THINGS ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM.”

INCONGRUITY/REVERSAL EVOKES HUMOROUS SURPRISE! The thing that would logically follow does not

follow. You are led to think/believe one thing, but then

it ends up being something else. Someone/something doing something that it

normally does not do Ex. Self-deprecation, anthropomorphism,

absurdity, anything hilariously unexpected. Reversal is in effect if two roles are reversed. If

things just… don’t fit, then it’s plain ol’ incongruity.

3. SLAPSTICK: Humor that is physical in nature—”physically funny”

Can involve (planned out)physical violence.

Goes beyond rational common sense or logical thinking.

Ex. People getting hit with/by things, a funny walk or fall, etc.

SUCH AS…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yc7sgN1zQM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9DNGgPNuFI&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL0B13E96303FE4097

4.SATIRE/PARODY Satire and parody both poke fun at

people, government, celebrities, works of art/literature, etc. (think Stephen Colbert, The Onion, political cartoons, Shrek, etc.)

Verbal irony is involved (saying something that is not to be taken literally) To “get” this humor, you need to know that it’s not really serious, but using a MOCK-SERIOUS tone.

IRONY USES MOCK-SERIOUS TONE

SATIRE VS. PARODY

More like mockery Humorous material

has a serious goal of social/political awareness or change

Often harshly critical underneath the humor

(John Stewart and Stephen Colbert)

More like mimicry Imitates the thing it is

making fun of, but not in part

Goal is just to make audience laugh by lightly mocking humorous aspects of the subject

Sort of a tribute (Shrek)

SATIRE:

PARODY:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a0-SVw5MJBU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbgLapRAloQ&feature=relmfu

5. WORDPLAY Witty manipulation of words for humorous effect,

often similar sounding words or double-meanings are used.

Ex. Puns, innuendo, excessive alliteration or funny metaphors

A coffin falls out of the vehicle carrying it. The undertaker says, “Oh, we should rehearse that.” GET IT? RE-HEARSE??!! Ahahahahaha….

WHAT IS NOT FUNNY…

and why.

“Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.” --Oscar Wilde on homogeneous, repeated potty humor

SOME KINDS OF “HUMOR” ARE INAPPROPRIATE IN POLITE, INTELLIGENT COMPANYRacist, sexist, religious, or homophobic jokes

Teasing/Bullying for ANY reasonVulgarity for the sake of being vulgar

Repeating the same thing over and over

Clichés

Remember: there is difference between being cruel and immature and actually being funny. It is never okay to laugh at someone else’s expense, whether it is a group of people or an individual.*

*Unless the person being mocked knows it, and

is expressly okay with it (like a“roast” of a

celebrity). If even SLIGHTLY in doubt, don’t say it.

IS HUMOR UNIVERSAL?Humor requires a relationship and

an understanding between the speaker or writer and his audience. Without this understanding, humor cannot exist. Humor is worth nothing if the audience doesn’t “get” the joke.

Inside jokes

WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF HUMOR?

Effects on body, mind, and spirit

ACTUAL HEALTH BENEFITS!!Humor can: relax an audience & make

them feel welcome. important persuasion tool

(humor is pathos!) makes troubles easier builds bonds between people increases immune system

activity stimulates creativity decreases tension, anger,

anxiety, and aggression

WHY ARE WE STUDYING HUMOR IN ENGLISH CLASS?

Humor is a reflection of our society

Humor is informativeHumor is persuasiveHumor engages an audience

Humor allows us to step back and not take ourselves too seriously

WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO WITH IT?

WE ARE GOING TO MAKE ZINES! Use humor in

literature to bring us together

Find common bonds we didn’t know we had

Share and teach each other

Improve interpersonal (and interclass) relations

Have big time LOLZ!

LET’S SEE HOW HUMOR-SMART YOU ARE!Where have you seen each of these elements of humor?

a. WORDPLAY

b. IRONY

c. SATIRE

d. SLAPSTICK

e. PARODY

f. HYPERBOLE

g. REVERSAL

h. INCONGRUITY