Class Notes: Weeks 18-19 (2/21/11-3/4/11)

Theories of Comedy:

intellectual theories:

• ethnic humor-funny to those who have no personal interest in the joke
• can make fun of any group from “dumb blondes” to Poles to fraternities
• Arthur Schopenhauer: humors depends on the pleasure of finding unexpected, intellectual connections between idea

superiority theories:

• we laugh at people because they have some failing or defect, are at some disadvantage, or may suffer some small misfortune
• stock figures of comedy: miser, glutton, drunkard
• person hit with custard pie
• egregiously incorrect answers, bad grammar, faulty pronunciation
• all humor is derisive-laugh because we feel superior
• Thomas Hobbes = originator of this theory
• we laugh at the misfortunes or infirmities of others or at our own past follies provided we are conscious of having now surmounted them and of unexpected successes of our own
• Alexander Bain: expands Hobbes in two main directions
• need not be directly conscious of our own superiority-e.g. may laugh sympathetically with another who defeats an adversary
• need not be a person who is derided-may be idea, political institution, or anything at all that makes a claim to dignity or respect

incongruity theories:

• unexpected with the expected, unusual with the usual, misfit in what has been established as a social norm
• Immanuel Kant
• incongruity = often associated with “frustrated expectation”
• abrupt intrusion into the attitude of something that is felt not to belong there, of some element that has strayed from another compartment of our minds
• first, there must be an established set of cultural, human, and societal norms against which incongruities can be found
• internal norms: author provides in text
• external norms: exist in the society for which the text was written
• biggest problem = knowing which norms exist-may become outdated
• but-jokes can still be funny even when the norms change-e.g. Shakespeare’s comedies
• funny because Shakespeare gained most of his humor from human rather than societal norms
• three aspects of incongruity:
• literalization: taking a figure of speech and then performing it literally
• reversal: reversing the normal, taking what is normal and expected and doing or saying the opposite
• exaggeration: taking what is normal and blowing it out of proportion
• greatest incongruity = violating of societal taboos-e.g. discussing subjects which aren’t usually discussed at all in public
• puns = weakest form of wit
• Herbert Spencer: “descending incongruity”
• agrees with Bain: incongruity always involves a contrast between something exalted or dignified and something trivial or disreputable
• but, thinks that incongruity is more important than degradation
• laughter = overflow of nervous energy (crossing over a little into relief theory)

relief theories:

• humor may afford us relief from the restraint of conforming to societal values
• reinforced by Sigmund Freud:
• humor = outwitting the “censor”-superego
• will only allow us to indulge in forbidden thoughts if its is first beguiled or disarmed in some way
• beguiling = done by techniques-punning, incongruity
• dreams are another way of eluding the censor

ambivalence theories:

• less important
• central feature of humor = ambivalence: mingling of attraction and repulsion
• humor makes us squeal at the grotesque

other famous people and their variations/additions to theories:

• Aristotle: comedy is painless
• action is comical only when audience know that no actual physical, mental, and/or emotional harm will come to the participants
• good example: cartoons-e.g. Wile E. Coyote
• Henri Bergson: comedy must be mechanical and inherently human
• ideal = élan vital: elasticity and adaptability
• typical comic character = someone with an obsession (idée fixe)
• humorous when someone acts in a manner inappropriate to a stimulus or situation
• slapstick
• chair being pulled out from someone who is sitting down-does not adapt to situation and continues to sit in a mechanical fashion
• comedy is inherently human
• may laugh at antics of animal only in direct proportion to the animal’s capability of reminding the audience of something human
• laughter = society’s defense against the eccentric who refuses to adjust to its requirements

according to the article, in order for anything to be humorous, it must meet ALL of the following requirements:

• 1) must appeal to the intellect rather than emotions
• 2) must be mechanical
• 3) must be inherently human
• 4) must be a set of established set of societal norms
• 5) situation must be inconsistent or unsuitable to the societal norms
• must be perceived by the observer as harmless or painless to the participants

*Thus, in conclusion: None of the theories incorporate all of these elements. Therefore, each theory is only part of the complex definition of comedy. Together, they fully define comedy.*

Types of Comedy (key points):

• low comedy: lacks seriousness of purpose or subtlety of manner
• little intellectual appeal
• high comedy: pure or serious comedy
• appeals to the intellect-stresses incongruities
• burlesque: characterized by ridiculous exaggeration and distortion
• farce: improbable plot, exaggerated character, slapstick elements
• lampoon: broad satirical peace
• parody: imitating or burlesquing another, usually serious, work
• analogous to caricature and cartoon in art
• satire: ridiculing follies and vices of people or time
• slapstick: boisterous; marked by chases, collisions, crude practical jokes
• travesty: presents serious (often religious) subject frivolously

The Comedic Ladder:

• check handout: it already does a very nice job of summarizing each rung of the ladder
• comedy of ideasàcomedy of mannersàfarceàlow comedy

The Difference Between Comedy and Tragedy:

• again, check handout and wiki

Techniques of Comedy:

• again, check handout: sums up terms very well

Homework:

• annotate Pride and Prejudice (Keep reading for a discussion on this)
• comedy essay paragraphs

Pride and Prejudice Group Discussion:

• How is it a comedy?
• definitely high comedy: comedy of manners-especially demonstrated by Darcy and Elizabeth’s witty banters
• not a comedy as characterized by Fyre’s mythoi because it does not endorse the values of the society-Jane Austen completely satirizes the aristocracy
• Comedic techniques used?
• wit: demonstrated, again, by the verbal banters between Darcy and Elizabeth
• hyperboles: Mrs. Bennet always blows things way out of proportion
• Knaves and Fools: Lydia is definitely a knave; Mr. Collins a fair fool
• comedic characterizations
• Mr. Collins is extremely humorous-always described in oxymoronic terms
• sarcasm/satire: Austen uses a lot of this when she is criticizing the aristocratic society
• Language?
• Austen is a master of asyndeton: she often clumps many adjectives together to lend more emotion to her piece
• Austen is often very long-winded; entire paragraphs are sometimes usually only one sentence.

Overall Connections:

• Trying to define comedy is like trying to define tragedy. There are so many different components and versions. From all the tragedies we’ve read, I think that there is no set definition or even combination of definitions for either. It just depends on the audience, the time period, and the purpose of the piece.
• In Brit Lit, we read a few of Shakespeare’s comedies. Twelfth Night is definitely an example of high comedy. It demonstrates both intellectual and incongruity theories of comedy well.
• Freud’s psychoanalytical perspective of humor reminds me of psychoanalytical criticism. His influence runs very deep in different aspects of literature.
• A lot of the TV shows popular right now actually focus on lower rungs of the comedic ladder. In general, maybe an interesting trend is the shift of focus from high to low comedy.
• Even as I say that, I realize that we also still enjoy high comedy very much. We admire people wit and intellectual humor more than crude humor.