Laughs With Lindsey

I thoroughly enjoyed Katherine's analysis of Jim Gaffigan's methods of humor (though I enjoyed the attached comedy clips much more than the actual analysis). While I would agree that Gaffigan's style often employs the superiority theory, mainly by allowing the audience to laugh at accounts of his own life, I would assert that (from the few clips I've seen) Gaffigan employs relief theory as often, if not more often than the superiority theory. Gaffigan seems to reference the woes of daily life, such as the struggles of marriage and parenthood, inability to lose weight, inconveniences at the gym, etc., then makes light of them in order to lessen their significance. This provides relief, not only to the audience but also to himself, from the stresses of quotidian issues. Similar to Jim Gaffigan, the British comedy show "That Mitchell and Webb Look" is sure to give you a good laugh through the use of both the superiority and relief theories of humor. One of my fav...

I found Jake's perspective on the humor of "Seinfeld" to be quite interesting. I can see his point of view, and can understand why, if one only desires to view comedy, one might be interested in a show which presents only that. However, my personal preference is to watch shows in which the characters are developed: their backstories, flaws, personality traits, and most important aspects are explored, and I can experience somewhat of an emotional investment in the way their lives play out. In reference to Jake's statement regarding the secondary characters in "Seinfeld" (or lack thereof), I would like to assert that the incorporation of recurring supporting roles can benefit a show and increase its comedic effect, rather than be detrimental. I believe this is particularly true for those characters which give further insight into the aspects of one or more of the main characters' lives. For example, Janice from "Friends" is a character who shows ...

As an avid "Friends" viewer, I would have to agree with Alex that the relief, incongruity, and superiority theories of humor are all present throughout the beloved sitcom. One scene that could support all three theories is the scene in which Joey receives the news that his agent Estelle has passed away. Immediately after hearing about Estelle's death, Joey gets a call from Phoebe, who, having not heard the news herself, impersonates the late Estelle to relieve Joey's guilt for dropping her as his agent. This shocks Joey who, believing Estelle is calling him from the afterlife, continues the conversation as if he's talking to a dead person... and hilarity ensues. The relief theory applies here because the dramatic irony (that the audience knows that it's Phoebe on the other end of the line) lightens the mood in what would be a sad situation - receiving the news that a close friend has passed away. The audience's sadness is lifted by humor. On that note, the...

John Lippitt's article "Humour and Incongruity" provided many different accounts of how incongruity affects what people perceive as funny. However, the account that I found the most persuasive was the section on Alexander Bain's criticism of the assertion that incongruity is at the root of all humor. He refutes this claim with examples of "many incongruities that may produce anything but a laugh" (Lippitt 8), which confirms my personal belief that nothing is inherently funny, but that whether or not something is considered funny relies largely on "the context within which [it is] presented... one's attitude thereto" (9), and an individual's personality and past experiences. An example of this phenomenon is meme culture: my generation finds hilarity in modern comedy such as Vines and GIFs because we use them to express ourselves, where other methods may communicate a message to our age group less effectively. However, many baby-boomers are ...

One of the best pieces of comedy that I have recently viewed is a YouTube video by Paul Taylor entitled "La Bise," in which Taylor expresses his grievances with the kisses exchanged by the French as a means of greeting one another. I found this sketch quite hilarious on its own, but the reading "Theories of Humor" helped me better understand the reasons behind my amusement; however, Sommers' "Revision Strategies" (though it improved my understanding of what it means to revise), did not increase my comprehension of the humor of my chosen video. I would assert that "La Bise" reinforces the Relief Theory of humor, specifically due to that section's introduction, which states that "s ince humor often calls conventional social requirements into question, it may be regarded as affording us relief from the restraint of conforming to those requirements" (Monro 353).  Exchanging kisses is a common occurrence in France, but can present ma...