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Humor: If you can get It, You Can Write It Blog

Mar 30, 2022

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Steve Harvey once told Jerry Seinfeld, "If you explain it to 'em they'll make absolutely no sense. The comedy profession is by far the most absurd profession that exists on Earth." Harvey and Seinfeld, both famous professional comedians with years of experience, came to the conclusion, you can't explain what it means to be humorous. You must have a sense humor. to see the world through an effervescence in your eyes, invigorating everything you do by adding a tinge of funny.

So, let's go ahead and leave all that behind and talk about humor, will we?

A Humor Definition (That isn't as if it's A Robot Being Explained)

This is the issue with the standard humor definition. We searched it out, and within the first couple of words, even the dictionary used the word "quality." As in:

 The quality of being entertaining.

Thanks for the internet android. Unfortunately, we're no further from figuring out what constitutes humor than prior to. Let's look at how we can resolve this, shall we?

Humor is the art of being unexpectedly amusing.

It's difficult to define exactly the definition of what amusing is because there's no way to quantify the individual's taste, but humor can be shocking in one or more of these ways:

  • A surprising joke with a surprising punchline. A sharply-written joke is like a magical show. Have your audience look in the right direction, and strike them with your magic act from the left field.
  • Subversiveness. It is often a result of the societal shock factor. You're not supposed to say that! Sometimes, a humorous observation that contradicts or exposes our social norms can bring us to smile.

Examples of Humor

Rodney Dangerfield's Unexpected Punchlines

  "Doctor, every morning as I wake up and see myself in the mirror I feel like throwing up. Is there something wrong?" He said, "I am not sure that, but your eye sight is excellent. ."

Jerry Seinfeld's Observational Humor

  "Make no mistake about why these babies are here. They are here to replace us ."

In the first glance, there's nothing especially surprising with this joke. How did the surprise originate from? It is in the truth in the statement. Seinfeld is taking an everyday notion (babies) and presenting the issue from a different perspective.

Tig Notaro's Wry Wit

  "A adorable kitten called Fluff. Her name is Fluff. We decided to use it as a mark of reverence for her parents. ."

It's possible that this joke isn't carrying the rat-a-tat rhythm that is typical of the Dangerfield gag, but it's still hilarious. Why? Tig Notaro offers a humorous approach to the topic by deadpanning a silly situation like a pair of adoptive cat parents sitting down and giving their kittens a human name.

Humor in Poetry

Resumes by Dorothy Parker

  Razors hurt you.  
  Dampness of the rivers;  
  The acid staining you  
  And drugs cause cramp.  
  Guns aren't legal;  
  Nooses are available;  
  Gas smells awful;  
  It's possible to live.  

Not all examples of humor include knee-slapping. There are some that tend towards humorous verbal wit. Dorothy Parker's Resume is a great example of this with a surprising approach to a sad subject.

If the poem contains one that's "You may as well live," a sort of humorous echo of Dylan Thomas' Rage Against the Dying of Light. But in Parker's case, the humor comes from the blase voice of the poet that seems to be telling the reader: well, living is better than dying.

The of the Walrus and Carpenter by Lewis Carroll

  "O oysters," said"the Carpenter,  
  "You've had pleasure running!  
  Will we ever be able to go home ?'  
  But answer did not come --  
  It was hardly strange, as it was  
  They'd had every one.  

Featured in Through the Looking-Glass The poem by Carroll is written for children. Simple situations where oysters can't respond to food because they've eaten them is all that you'll need.

   Let Your Funny online on the Internet  

   Humor Writing: Write funny for the Internet  

Humor in Literature Examples

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

  "Yea," says the author, "dost thou slip on thy back?  
  Thou wilt fall backward when thou hast greater wit.  
  Willst thou, Jule?  

The early scenes of Romeo and Juliet play to the audience's more primitive instincts, similar to the reference above to - well the best way to avoid it is to leave it unspoken.

At the beginning of the play, a number of characters engage in humorous jokes such as that above. It's only when the drama changes towards the end of the play that we are able to consider Romeo as well as Juliet the true tragic play.

Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut

"The date was 2081." Vonnegut begins the story "and everybody was finally equally."

It's an obviously absurd and satirical premise. In 2081, the state is so concerned with equality that beautiful people have to put on masks, and those who are smart are deliberately dispersed, lest they shame those who aren't beautiful or intelligent. These satires provide us with bits of literary humor like these:

 Each twenty second or so The transmitter will send an ear-splitting sound to keep people like George from taking unfair advantage of their brains.

 George and Hazel were watching television. The tears were streaming down Hazel's cheeks, but she'd lost track of the topic.

How to Write Humor (Without creating a craze)

An attempt at humor in writing is noble, you're trying to make people laugh, after all. If you get the wrong thing, your work could fall flat with a spectacular crash. Or, even worse, make your readers cringe. What are the secrets to unlocking humor that lands with your target audience?

Never Take a Joke Where they Aren't

Consider this statement by one-liner legendary Steven Wright:

  A lot of people are afraid of heights. But not me. I'm terrified of widths.

A geometry pun is somewhat corny, but it's effective. Why? Because you think he's setting you up to make a joke on the psychology.

Add a Personal Touch

Take note of that quote from Vonnegut: "...to keep people like George from taking advantage of their brains."

It's dripping with humor and sarcasm. It's not the kind of comedy at all however you can feel Vonnegut's witty voice seeping into the prose. If you want to do the same, don't be afraid to unleash your natural wit to break through, regardless of whether you're an all-knowing narrator.

How to train yourself to be funny

And don't forget the ultimate test: If anything makes you laugh while writing you write, it's likely you'll be able to inspire your readers, too.

Writer, Meet Comedy

   Humor Writing: An Introduction of Humor writing