Types of Comedy

Low vs. High Comedy

• Low comedy

  • Not intellectual

• High comedy

  • arouses thoughtful laughter

• Low vs. high comedy incongruities of human nature as well as shortcomings & follies

• Burlesque

  • Full of ridiculous exaggerations and outlandish distortions

  • Either something pedestrian is elevated or something lofty is trivialized

• Farce

  • Low comedy that exists to make people laugh

  • Elements include improbable situations, slapstick humor, bawdy language

• Lampoon

  • Satiric attack that relies heavily on ridicule (traditional)

  • Contemporary version pokes fun at groups but without the intent of improving the shortcoming that satire has

• Parody

  • Imitation of a specific work or style for comic effect

• Satire

  • Used to expose the shortcomings of society

• Travesty

  • Low comedy that treats a serious subject in an undignified manner

Components of Humor

• Actions

  • Something done by a character for humorous effect; could be unexpected, or something out of character

• Caricatures

  • Funny characters

  • Tend to have unresolved conflicts that readers find amusing; their behaviors are exaggerated, undermining the character’s credibility

• Dialogue

  • Puns or confusing conversation for humor’s sake

• Exaggeration

  • Overstating or overemphasizing (hyperbole)

• Incongruity

  • Things that are incompatible, unreasonable, or not properly aligned; unexpected

• Litotes

  • Stating something in terms of the negation of its opposite

  • “He’s not hideous.” instead of saying “He’s attractive.'“

• Malapropism

  • Using one word, incorrectly, for another that resembles or sounds like it

• Wit

  • Clever expressions; intellectual form of humor