Creative Writing: Humor & Satire

Farce

Situation where comic action is central. The jokes are broad, the characters stereotypical. This style is usually found in plays and movies.

Vaudeville and Burlesque

The forerunners of today's sitcoms. Consist of short comedy sketches, songs, and one-liners.

Parody

A strong literary device where a serious subject is imitated in a sarcastic fashion. Most of the time the writer imitates the style and subject with obvious exaggeration.

Satire

Close to parody but the writer usually makes fun of the subject without imitation. Utilizes exaggeration, irony and sarcasm.

Comedy of Manners

Wit and sarcasm play an important part in this form of comedy.

Realistic Comedy

The serious theme laced with irony and sarcasm.

Black Humor

Focuses on taboo subjects such as death, religion, and sexual oddities handled in a macabre fashion.

Folk and Ethnic Humor

This is a humorous form that plays on stereotypes of a particular ethnic, religious, or social group. It often works best when the humor comes from a member of the group. It can be seen as racist or sexist.

Wit

It is the fast come-back repartee.