Humour
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
| Revision as of 10:56, 16 February 2008 Jahsonic (Talk | contribs) ← Previous diff |
Revision as of 15:45, 31 August 2016 Jahsonic (Talk | contribs) (→See also) Next diff → |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| + | [[Image:Illustration by Gustave Doré, 1873.jpg|thumb|left|200px|''[[Gargantua and Pantagruel]]'' by [[François Rabelais]], illustrated by [[Gustave Doré]] in [[1873]]]] | ||
| + | [[Image:Mona Lisa Smoking a Pipe.jpg|thumb|right|200px|This page '''{{PAGENAME}}''' is part of the [[laughter]] series.<br>Illustration: ''[[Mona Lisa Smoking a Pipe]]'' by [[Eugène Bataille]]]] | ||
| + | [[Image:The Raven.jpg|thumb|right|200px| | ||
| + | Body genre: [[comedy]] and [[humour]]; effect: [[laughter]] | ||
| + | <br>Illustration: poster for ''[[The Raven (1963 film)|The Raven]]'', a [[horror-comedy]]]] | ||
| + | [[Image:Véritable portrait de Monsieur Ubu, par Alfred Jarry (1896).png|thumb|right|200px|''[[Ubu Roi]]'' (King Ubu) is a [[play]] developed by [[Alfred Jarry]] premiered on [[December 10]] [[1896]], and is widely acknowledged as a theatrical [[precursor]] to the [[Theatre of the Absurd|Absurdist]], [[Dada]] and [[Surrealism|Surrealist]] art movements.]] | ||
| + | [[Image:Ship of Fools by Jheronimus Bosch.jpg|thumb|right|200px|This page '''{{PAGENAME}}''' is part of the [[fool|foolishness]] series.<br> | ||
| + | Illustration: ''[[Ship of Fools (painting)|Ship of Fools]]'' by [[Hieronymus Bosch]]]] | ||
| + | [[Image:The_House_of_Nonsense.jpg|thumb|right|200px|This page '''{{PAGENAME}}''' is part of the ''[[nonsense]]'' series.<br>Illustration: [[House of Nonsense]] (1911), one of [[Blackpool]]'s [[funhouse]] [[attraction]]s]] | ||
| {{Template}} | {{Template}} | ||
| '''Humour''' is the ability or [[quality]] of people, objects, or situations to evoke feelings of [[amusement]] in other people. The term encompasses a form of [[entertainment]] or human [[communication]] which evokes such feelings, or which makes people [[laugh]] or feel [[happiness|happy]]. | '''Humour''' is the ability or [[quality]] of people, objects, or situations to evoke feelings of [[amusement]] in other people. The term encompasses a form of [[entertainment]] or human [[communication]] which evokes such feelings, or which makes people [[laugh]] or feel [[happiness|happy]]. | ||
| Central to this wiki is the notion of [[black humour]]. | Central to this wiki is the notion of [[black humour]]. | ||
| + | ==Etymology== | ||
| + | The term derives from the [[humorism|humoral medicine]] of the [[ancient Greeks]], which stated that a mix of fluids known as humours ([[Greek language|Greek]]: [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%23115103 χυμός], ''chymos'', literally [[juice]] or [[sap]]; metaphorically, [[flavour]]) controlled human health and emotion. | ||
| + | ==A sense of humour== | ||
| + | A '''sense of humour''' is the ability to experience humour, although the extent to which an individual will find something humorous depends on a host of [[variable]]s, including [[geographical location]], [[culture]], [[Maturity (psychological)|maturity]], level of [[education]], [[intelligence]], and [[context]]. For example, young children may possibly favour [[slapstick]], such as [[Punch and Judy]] puppet shows or cartoons (e.g., [[Tom and Jerry]]). [[Satire]] may rely more on understanding the target of the humour, and thus tends to appeal to more mature audiences. | ||
| + | ==Understanding humour== | ||
| + | Some claim that humour cannot or should not be explained. Author [[E.B. White]] once said, "[[Humor can be dissected as a frog can]], but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the pure scientific mind." | ||
| - | == Related == | + | [[Arthur Schopenhauer]] lamented the misuse of the term "humour" (a [[German language|German]] [[loanword]] from [[English language|English]]) to mean any type of [[comedy]]. However, both "humour" and "comic" are often used when theorising about the subject. The connotations of "humour" as opposed to "comic" are said to be that of response versus stimulus. Additionally, "humour" was thought to include a combination of ridiculousness and [[wit]] in an individual; the paradigmatic case being Shakespeare's Sir John Falstaff. The French were slow to adopt the term "humour"; in French, "humeur" and "humour" are still two different words, the former referring to a person's [[Mood (psychology)|mood]] or to the archaic concept of the four [[Four Temperaments|humours]]. |
| - | [[amusement]] - [[black comedy]] - [[burlesque]] - [[caricature]] - [[comedy]] - [[funny]] - [[entertainment]] - [[irony]] - [[laughter]] - [[parody]] - [[ribaldry]] - [[ridicule]] - [[satire]] - [[send-up]] - [[spoof]] | + | Nonsatirical humour can be specifically termed "recreational drollery". |
| + | ===Ancient Greece=== | ||
| + | :''[[Ancient Greek Comedy]]'' | ||
| + | Western humour theory begins with [[Plato]], who attributed to [[Socrates]] (as a semihistorical dialogue character) in the ''[[Philebus]]'' (p. 49b) the view that the essence of the ridiculous is an ignorance in the weak, who are thus unable to retaliate when ridiculed. Later, in Greek philosophy, [[Aristotle]], in the ''[[Poetics (Aristotle)|Poetics]]'' (1449a, pp. 34–35), suggested that an ugliness that does not disgust is fundamental to humour. | ||
| - | == Further reading == | + | ===India=== |
| - | *''[[Anthology of Black Humor]]'' (1940) - André Breton | + | In ancient [[Sanskrit drama]], [[Bharata Muni]]'s ''[[Natya Shastra]]'' defined humour (''hāsyam'') as one of the nine ''[[nava rasas]]'', or principle ''[[Rasa (aesthetics)|rasas]]'' (emotional responses), which can be inspired in the audience by ''bhavas'', the imitations of emotions that the actors perform. Each ''rasa'' was associated with a specific ''[[bhava]]s'' portrayed on stage. In the case of humour, it was associated with mirth (''hasya''). |
| - | *''[[Rationale of the Dirty Joke|Rationale of the Dirty Joke: An Analysis of Sexual Humor]]'' a 1968 book by Gershon Legman | + | ===Arabia=== |
| - | *''[[The Joke and Its Relation to the Unconscious]]'' (1905) by Sigmund Freud | + | :''[[Arabian humour]] |
| + | The terms "[[comedy]]" and "[[satire]]" became synonymous after Aristotle's ''Poetics'' was translated into [[Arabic language|Arabic]] in the [[Islamic Golden Age|medieval Islamic world]], where it was elaborated upon by [[Arabic literature|Arabic writers]] and [[Early Islamic philosophy|Islamic philosophers]] such as Abu Bischr, his pupil [[Al-Farabi]], [[Avicenna]], and [[Averroes]]. Due to cultural differences, they disassociated comedy from [[Greek drama]]tic representation, and instead identified it with [[Arabic poetry|Arabic poetic]] themes and forms, such as ''hija'' (satirical poetry). They viewed comedy as simply the "art of reprehension" and made no reference to light and cheerful events or troublous beginnings and happy endings associated with classical Greek comedy. After the [[Latin translations of the 12th century]], the term "comedy" thus gained a new semantic meaning in [[Medieval literature]]. | ||
| - | == Stith Thompson classification of humor == | + | ===Social demographics=== |
| + | As with any form of art, acceptance depends on social demographics and varies from person to person. Throughout history, comedy has been used as a form of entertainment all over the world, whether in the courts of the Western kings or the villages of the Far East. Both a social etiquette and a certain intelligence can be displayed through forms of wit and sarcasm. Eighteenth-century [[Germany|German]] author [[Georg Lichtenberg]] said that "the more you know humour, the more you become demanding in fineness." | ||
| + | ===Evolution of humour=== | ||
| + | As with any form of art, the same goes for humour: acceptance depends on social demographics and varies from person to person. Throughout history, comedy has been used as a form of entertainment all over the world, whether in the courts of the Western kings or the villages of the Far East. Both a social etiquette and a certain intelligence can be displayed through forms of wit and sarcasm. Eighteenth-century [[Germany|German]] author [[Georg Lichtenberg]] said that "the more you know humour, the more you become demanding in fineness." | ||
| - | Here is what I believe the Stith Thompson classification of humor | + | Alastair Clarke explains: "The theory is an evolutionary and cognitive explanation of how and why any individual finds anything funny. Effectively, it explains that humour occurs when the brain recognizes a pattern that surprises it, and that recognition of this sort is rewarded with the experience of the humorous response, an element of which is broadcast as laughter." The theory further identifies the importance of pattern recognition in human evolution: "An ability to recognize patterns instantly and unconsciously has proved a fundamental weapon in the cognitive arsenal of human beings. The humorous reward has encouraged the development of such faculties, leading to the unique perceptual and intellectual abilities of our species." |
| - | The folklore scholar Gershon Legman devoted several pages to the French conte-en-vers genre in an article entitled "Toward a Motif-Index of Erotic Humor." Legman underlined the significance of this genre in the context of folklore research: | ||
| - | :The conte-en-vers is therefore the real connecting link between the earlier folktale collections and the modern scientific collections, and is the real repository of the native and original humorous material for nearly two centuries (1650-1850), where little of an original nature and almost nothing native will be found in the jestbooks. The entire literature of the conte-en-vers, whether dated from the burlesque and Aretinesque academies of the 1550's in Italy, or from La Fontaine's contes, "tires de Boccace" as he perfectly frankly admits, in the 1660's ... represents in sum an exceptionally large repertory of jokes and tales, purposely sought from the folk at a period when the jestbooks were already forgetful or contemptuous of folk sources, and far gone in sterile mutual plagiarism (Legman 1962, 237). | + | ==Humour formulae== |
| + | Humor can be [[verbal]], [[visual humor|visual]], or physical. | ||
| - | ... Thousands of obscene motifs in which there is no point but the obscenity itself might logically come at this point, but they are entirely beyond the scope of the present work. They form a literature to themselves, with its own periodicals and collections. In view of the possibility that it might become desirable to classify these motifs and place them within the present index, space has been left from X700 to X749 for such motifs (Thompson 1955-8, 5:514). --Catherine Grise via [1] | + | Root components: |
| + | *appealing to [[feeling]]s or to [[emotion]]s. | ||
| + | *similar to [[reality]], but not real. | ||
| + | *some [[surprise]]/[[misdirection]], [[contradiction]], [[ambiguity]], or [[paradox]]. | ||
| - | X. HUMOR | + | Methods: |
| + | *[[hyperbole]] | ||
| + | *[[metaphor]] | ||
| + | *[[reductio ad absurdum]] or [[farce]] | ||
| + | *[[reframing]] | ||
| + | *[[comic timing|timing]] | ||
| - | X0 – X99. Humor of discomfiture | + | [[Rowan Atkinson]] explains in his lecture in the documentary "''[[Funny Business (TV series)|Funny Business]]''" that an object or a person can become funny in three different ways. They are: |
| - | X0. Humor of discomfiture | + | *By behaving in an unusual way |
| + | *By being in an unusual place | ||
| + | *By being the wrong size | ||
| - | X100– X199. Humor of disability | + | Most [[sight gag]]s fit into one or more of these categories. |
| - | X100.Humor of disability | + | |
| - | X110.Humor of deafness | + | |
| - | X120.Humor of bad eyesight | + | |
| - | X130.Other physical disabilities | + | |
| - | X200– X599.HUMOR OF SOCIAL CLASSES | + | Humour is also sometimes described as an ingredient in spiritual life. Humour is also the act of being funny. Some synonyms of funny or humour are hilarious, knee-slapping, spiritual, wise-minded, outgoing, and amusing. Some Masters have added it to their teachings in various forms. A famous figure in spiritual humour is the [[laughing Buddha]]. |
| - | X200– X299. Humor dealing with tradesmen | + | ==See also== |
| - | X200.Humor dealing with tradesmen | + | |
| - | X210.Jokes about millers | + | |
| - | X220.Jokes about tailors | + | |
| - | X230.Jokes about butchers | + | |
| - | X240.Jokes about cobblers (shoemakers) | + | |
| - | X250.Jokes about other artisans and tradesmen | + | |
| - | X300– X499. Humor dealing with professions | + | :''[[amusement]] - [[black comedy]] - [[burlesque]] - [[caricature]] - [[comedy]] - [[fool]] - [[funny]] - [[entertainment]] - [[irony]] - [[joke]] - [[laughter]] - [[parody]] - [[ribaldry]] - [[ridicule]] - [[satire]] - [[send-up]] - [[spoof]]'' |
| - | X300.Humor dealing with professions | + | *[[Clown]]s |
| - | X310.Jokes on lawyers | + | *[[Comedy]] and [[Comedian]]s |
| - | X330.Jokes on magistrates | + | *[[Comics]] |
| - | X350.Jokes on teachers | + | *[[Computational humor|Computational humour]] |
| - | X370.Jokes on scholars | + | * [[Deadpan]] |
| - | X410.Jokes on parsons | + | * [[Gelotology]], the study of laughing and laughter |
| - | X460.Humor concerning other professions | + | *[[Humor research]] |
| + | *[[Internet humor|Internet humour]] | ||
| + | *[[Joke]] | ||
| + | *[[Laughter]] | ||
| + | * [[Laughter in literature]] | ||
| + | * [[List of humorists]] | ||
| + | *[[List of publications in humor research|List of publications in humour research]] | ||
| + | *[[Satire]] | ||
| + | **[[Political satire]] | ||
| + | *[[Smile]] | ||
| + | * [[Surreal humour]] | ||
| + | * [[Theories of humor]] | ||
| + | * [[Unintentional humor]] | ||
| + | ===Wit and humor characters=== | ||
| - | X500– X599. Humor concerning other social classes | + | *[[Birbal]] |
| - | X500.Humor concerning other social classes | + | *[[Gopal Bhar]] |
| - | X510.Jokes concerning usurers | + | *[[Hum Jayega]] |
| - | X520.Jokes concerning prostitutes | + | *[[Gonu Jha]] |
| - | X530.Jokes concerning beggars | + | *[[Mullah Do Piaza]] |
| - | X540.Jokes on madmen | + | *[[Tenali Ramakrishna]] |
| - | X550.Jokes on secret societies | + | |
| - | X600– X699. Humor concerning races or nations | + | *[[Abu Abed]] |
| - | X600.Humor concerning races or nations | + | *[[Hershele Ostropoler]] |
| - | X610.Jokes concerning Jews | + | *[[Hitar Petar]] |
| - | X650.Jokes concerning other races or nations | + | *[[İncili Çavuş]] |
| - | X680.Jokes concerning various cities | + | *[[Nasreddin]] |
| + | *[[Till Eulenspiegel]] | ||
| + | *[[Onufry Zagłoba]] | ||
| - | X700– X799. Humor concerning sex | + | *[[Jester]] |
| - | X700.Humor concerning sex | + | *[[Wise fool]] |
| - | X750.Jokes on old maids | + | |
| - | X760.Jokes on courtship | + | |
| - | X800– X899. Humor based on drunkenness | + | ==Humour and culture== |
| - | X800.Humor based on drunkenness | + | Different cultures have different expectations of humour so comedy shows are not always successful when transplanted into another culture. Two well-known sayings in [[British humour|Britain]] are "Americans don't do [[irony]]" and [[German humour|Germans have no sense of humour]]. Whether these sayings have any validity has been discussed on a [[BBC]] webpage. |
| - | + | == Further reading == | |
| - | X900– X1899.HUMOR OF LIES AND EXAGGERATIONS | + | *''[[Anthology of Black Humor]]'' (1940) - André Breton |
| - | + | *''[[Rationale of the Dirty Joke|Rationale of the Dirty Joke: An Analysis of Sexual Humor]]'' a 1968 book by Gershon Legman | |
| - | X910– X1099. Lie: the remarkable man | + | *''[[Jokes and their Relation to the Unconscious]]'' (1905) by Sigmund Freud |
| - | X910– X959.Lie: the remarkable man: his birth, growth, death, | + | *''[[Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic]]'' (1901) by Henri Bergson |
| - | physical powers, strength | + | *[[Motif-Index of Folk-Literature]] |
| - | X910.Lie: the remarkable man | + | *[[List of publications in humor research]] |
| - | X920.Lie: the large man | + | *''[[A History of Derision]]'' |
| - | X930.Lie: remarkable person’s physical powers and habits | + | *''[[Le Rire de résistance]]'' |
| - | X940.Lie: remarkably strong man | + | |
| - | X960– X1019.Lie: remarkable person’s skills | + | |
| - | X960.Lie: remarkable person’s skills | + | |
| - | X980.Lie: occupational or professional skills | + | |
| - | X1010.Lie: remarkable mental skills | + | |
| - | X1020– 1079. Remarkable man’s extraordinary possessions | + | |
| - | X1020.Lie: remarkable possessions of remarkable man | + | |
| - | X1030.Lie: remarkable buildings | + | |
| - | X1060.Lie: other possessions of remarkable man | + | |
| - | X1070.Extraordinary man’s family | + | |
| - | X1080– X1099.Lie: occupations of remarkable man | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | X1100– X1199. Lie: great hunters and fishermen | + | |
| - | X1100.Lie: the remarkable hunter | + | |
| - | X1110.Lie: the wonderful hunt | + | |
| - | X1120.Lie: the great marksman | + | |
| - | X1130.Lie: hunter’s unusual experiences | + | |
| - | X1150.Lies about fishing | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | X1200– X1399. Lies about animals | + | |
| - | X1200.Lie: remarkable animals | + | |
| - | X1210.Lies about mammals | + | |
| - | X1250.Lies about birds | + | |
| - | X1280.Lies about insects | + | |
| - | X1300.Lies about fish | + | |
| - | X1320.Lies about reptiles | + | |
| - | X1340.Lie: extraordinary amphibia and other animals | + | |
| - | X1370.Lies about imaginary animals | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | X1400– X1499. Lies about plants, fruits, vegetables and trees | + | |
| - | X1400.Lies about plants, fruits, vegetables and trees | + | |
| - | X1410.Lies about fruits | + | |
| - | X1420.Lies about vegetables | + | |
| - | X1450.Lies about field crops | + | |
| - | X1470.Lies about trees | + | |
| - | X1480.Lies about flowers | + | |
| - | X1490.Lie: miscellaneous plant motifs | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | X1500– X1599. Lies about geography and topography | + | |
| - | X1500.Lies about geography and topography | + | |
| - | X1510.Lies about land features | + | |
| - | X1520.Lies about mountains and hills | + | |
| - | X1530.Lies about remarkable soil | + | |
| - | X1540.Lies about water features | + | |
| - | X1550.Geography and topography – miscellaneous motifs | + | |
| - | X1560.Lies about cities | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | X1600– X1699. Lies about weather and climate | + | |
| - | X1600.Lies about weather and climate | + | |
| - | X1610.Lies about winds and storms | + | |
| - | X1620.Lies about cold weather | + | |
| - | X1630.Lies about hot weather | + | |
| - | X1640.Lies about dry weather | + | |
| - | X1650.Lies about precipitation and dampness | + | |
| - | X1660.Lies about climate | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | X1700– X1799. Lies: logical absurdities | + | |
| - | X1700.Lies: logical absurdities | + | |
| - | X1710.Lies about numbers | + | |
| - | X1720.Absurd disregard of anatomy | + | |
| - | X1740.Absurd disregard of natural laws | + | |
| - | X1750.Absurd disregard of the nature of objects | + | |
| - | X1760.Absurd disregard of the nature of non-material things | + | |
| - | X1780.Absurdity based on the nature of the object | + | |
| - | X1790.Other logical absurdities | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | X1800– X1899. Miscellaneous lies and exaggerations | + | |
| - | X1800.Miscellaneous lies and exaggerations | + | |
| - | X1810.Tall tales about miscellaneous objects | + | |
| - | X1850.Other tall tales | + | |
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
Revision as of 15:45, 31 August 2016
Illustration: Mona Lisa Smoking a Pipe by Eugène Bataille
Illustration: House of Nonsense (1911), one of Blackpool's funhouse attractions
|
Related e |
|
Featured: |
Humour is the ability or quality of people, objects, or situations to evoke feelings of amusement in other people. The term encompasses a form of entertainment or human communication which evokes such feelings, or which makes people laugh or feel happy.
Central to this wiki is the notion of black humour.
Contents |
Etymology
The term derives from the humoral medicine of the ancient Greeks, which stated that a mix of fluids known as humours (Greek: χυμός, chymos, literally juice or sap; metaphorically, flavour) controlled human health and emotion.
A sense of humour
A sense of humour is the ability to experience humour, although the extent to which an individual will find something humorous depends on a host of variables, including geographical location, culture, maturity, level of education, intelligence, and context. For example, young children may possibly favour slapstick, such as Punch and Judy puppet shows or cartoons (e.g., Tom and Jerry). Satire may rely more on understanding the target of the humour, and thus tends to appeal to more mature audiences.
Understanding humour
Some claim that humour cannot or should not be explained. Author E.B. White once said, "Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but the thing dies in the process and the innards are discouraging to any but the pure scientific mind."
Arthur Schopenhauer lamented the misuse of the term "humour" (a German loanword from English) to mean any type of comedy. However, both "humour" and "comic" are often used when theorising about the subject. The connotations of "humour" as opposed to "comic" are said to be that of response versus stimulus. Additionally, "humour" was thought to include a combination of ridiculousness and wit in an individual; the paradigmatic case being Shakespeare's Sir John Falstaff. The French were slow to adopt the term "humour"; in French, "humeur" and "humour" are still two different words, the former referring to a person's mood or to the archaic concept of the four humours.
Nonsatirical humour can be specifically termed "recreational drollery".
Ancient Greece
Western humour theory begins with Plato, who attributed to Socrates (as a semihistorical dialogue character) in the Philebus (p. 49b) the view that the essence of the ridiculous is an ignorance in the weak, who are thus unable to retaliate when ridiculed. Later, in Greek philosophy, Aristotle, in the Poetics (1449a, pp. 34–35), suggested that an ugliness that does not disgust is fundamental to humour.
India
In ancient Sanskrit drama, Bharata Muni's Natya Shastra defined humour (hāsyam) as one of the nine nava rasas, or principle rasas (emotional responses), which can be inspired in the audience by bhavas, the imitations of emotions that the actors perform. Each rasa was associated with a specific bhavas portrayed on stage. In the case of humour, it was associated with mirth (hasya).
Arabia
The terms "comedy" and "satire" became synonymous after Aristotle's Poetics was translated into Arabic in the medieval Islamic world, where it was elaborated upon by Arabic writers and Islamic philosophers such as Abu Bischr, his pupil Al-Farabi, Avicenna, and Averroes. Due to cultural differences, they disassociated comedy from Greek dramatic representation, and instead identified it with Arabic poetic themes and forms, such as hija (satirical poetry). They viewed comedy as simply the "art of reprehension" and made no reference to light and cheerful events or troublous beginnings and happy endings associated with classical Greek comedy. After the Latin translations of the 12th century, the term "comedy" thus gained a new semantic meaning in Medieval literature.
Social demographics
As with any form of art, acceptance depends on social demographics and varies from person to person. Throughout history, comedy has been used as a form of entertainment all over the world, whether in the courts of the Western kings or the villages of the Far East. Both a social etiquette and a certain intelligence can be displayed through forms of wit and sarcasm. Eighteenth-century German author Georg Lichtenberg said that "the more you know humour, the more you become demanding in fineness."
Evolution of humour
As with any form of art, the same goes for humour: acceptance depends on social demographics and varies from person to person. Throughout history, comedy has been used as a form of entertainment all over the world, whether in the courts of the Western kings or the villages of the Far East. Both a social etiquette and a certain intelligence can be displayed through forms of wit and sarcasm. Eighteenth-century German author Georg Lichtenberg said that "the more you know humour, the more you become demanding in fineness."
Alastair Clarke explains: "The theory is an evolutionary and cognitive explanation of how and why any individual finds anything funny. Effectively, it explains that humour occurs when the brain recognizes a pattern that surprises it, and that recognition of this sort is rewarded with the experience of the humorous response, an element of which is broadcast as laughter." The theory further identifies the importance of pattern recognition in human evolution: "An ability to recognize patterns instantly and unconsciously has proved a fundamental weapon in the cognitive arsenal of human beings. The humorous reward has encouraged the development of such faculties, leading to the unique perceptual and intellectual abilities of our species."
Humour formulae
Humor can be verbal, visual, or physical.
Root components:
- appealing to feelings or to emotions.
- similar to reality, but not real.
- some surprise/misdirection, contradiction, ambiguity, or paradox.
Methods:
Rowan Atkinson explains in his lecture in the documentary "Funny Business" that an object or a person can become funny in three different ways. They are:
- By behaving in an unusual way
- By being in an unusual place
- By being the wrong size
Most sight gags fit into one or more of these categories.
Humour is also sometimes described as an ingredient in spiritual life. Humour is also the act of being funny. Some synonyms of funny or humour are hilarious, knee-slapping, spiritual, wise-minded, outgoing, and amusing. Some Masters have added it to their teachings in various forms. A famous figure in spiritual humour is the laughing Buddha.
See also
- amusement - black comedy - burlesque - caricature - comedy - fool - funny - entertainment - irony - joke - laughter - parody - ribaldry - ridicule - satire - send-up - spoof
- Clowns
- Comedy and Comedians
- Comics
- Computational humour
- Deadpan
- Gelotology, the study of laughing and laughter
- Humor research
- Internet humour
- Joke
- Laughter
- Laughter in literature
- List of humorists
- List of publications in humour research
- Satire
- Smile
- Surreal humour
- Theories of humor
- Unintentional humor
Wit and humor characters
Humour and culture
Different cultures have different expectations of humour so comedy shows are not always successful when transplanted into another culture. Two well-known sayings in Britain are "Americans don't do irony" and Germans have no sense of humour. Whether these sayings have any validity has been discussed on a BBC webpage.
Further reading
- Anthology of Black Humor (1940) - André Breton
- Rationale of the Dirty Joke: An Analysis of Sexual Humor a 1968 book by Gershon Legman
- Jokes and their Relation to the Unconscious (1905) by Sigmund Freud
- Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic (1901) by Henri Bergson
- Motif-Index of Folk-Literature
- List of publications in humor research
- A History of Derision
- Le Rire de résistance
