Theories of humour: The Comic Event / Surprise / Incongruity
What is your understanding of the comic form and theories of humour explored this week, with reference to the reading(s), in-class discussion, and/or your own research?
My understanding of the comic form and theories of humour explored this week (The Comic Event / Surprise / Incongruity) was largely influenced by the reading by Audissino, E. & Wennekes, E. (eds), ‘The Palgrave Handbook of Music in Comedy Cinema’. The reading introduced that defining comedy as a genre or mode was complicated – that theories on what makes us laugh or why we laugh have been debated over time. The main theories – superiority theories, incongruity theories, release theories and humour and ethics I found made the basis of understanding what makes comedy, comedic. Surprise and incongruity were the theories focused on in Week 1. Incongruity/surprise comedy includes elements that are juxtaposed or unsuspected to create humour. Absurdity and surprise are big elements of this comedic style, “the detection of some disruption of our expectations.” (Audissino, E. & Wennekes, E. 2023). The unsuspecting element confuses audiences and can create humour in the process. Knowing this, I tried to push these elements into my Week 1 sketch.
How does your media artefact (sketch) respond to these constraints and concepts?
My media sketch responds to the incongruity concept by adding this element of surprise. It is hard to predict what is happening next in my sketch, what is the present delivered at the door? Why are there Michael Jackson coasters? Is there anything in this package?
The element of surprise and absurdity was the key factor in the sketch, which I believe responded to the constraints of the comedic theories. I “create a deviation of norms, conventions, anticipations, predictions and common logic.” (Audissino, E. & Wennekes, E. 2023).
(From week 2 onwards:) How have you incorporated peer feedback into your approach to further develop or improve your practice?
I found this style particularly hard to do, I wasn’t sure what to come up with a ‘surprise’ element. I didn’t receive any feedback (Week 1) but I don’t think this sketch is particularly funny, I hope to improve on generating ideas that I’m capable of doing on my own. I am definitely not used to making comedy sketches.
REFERENCES:
Simons, S. (2023), “Six Small Essays About Comedy”, Humorism, <https://www.humorism.xyz/six-small-essays-about-comedy/Links to an external site.>.
Audissino, E. (2023), “From Dionysia to Hollywood: An Introduction to Comedy’s Long (and Bumpy) Road” in Audissino, E. & Wennekes, E. (eds), The Palgrave Handbook of Music in Comedy Cinema, London: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 3–23.