Curtisha Wallace 

Comedy as Genre

Definition:

            A theatrical, film, radio or television drama of light and amusing character and typically with a happy ending; the genre of dramatic literature dealing with the comic or with the serious in a light or satirical manner.  (Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary. 7^th ed. 1963.)

Aspects of Humor:

·        Scatalogical humor – Comedy based off of the body and it’s functions.  The comedian uses the odd noises, fluids, body parts etc. to make a joke.

·        Punchlines/One liner humor – The sentence, statement, or phrase (as in a joke) that makes the point or comical observation.

·        Satire – use of wit, especially irony, sarcasm, and ridicule, to attack the vices and follies of humankind.

·        Situational – The use of putting people in odd places, times, with different people that they would not often socialize with, to create funny and interesting dialogue.

·        Slapstick – An aspect of comedy with the emphasis on fast physical action, farcical situations, and obvious jokes that do not depend on language.

www.cornellcollege.edu/~c-hill/catogories%20of%20comedy.htm

Example: Big Momma’s House, produced by David Friendly and Runteldat entertainment; year 2000.  This movie is a crime story with a romantic twist.

Representational genre: Comedy=Single voice + Drama

Narrative genre: Tragedy, Comedy, and Romance

Subject genre/audience appeal: crime story, romantic comedy, a Martin Lawrence movie

Highlights of genre in example: Dialogue between characters is broken when move to church scene where preacher addresses the audience

Alternative names/related genres: farce, satire, humor

Additional examples of genre: George Tillman’s Soul Food, Walt Disney’s The Emperor’s New Groove, PDI Dreamworks’s Shrek, Jim Carrey and Adam Sandler movies

Questions:

The class handout over genre’s describes comedy as one that often begins with a problem or a mistake (as in mistaken identity), but the problem is less significant than tragedy.  Why do you think the writers of various movies center comedic action areound character, societal, or government problems? Is this how we usually deal with problems? Is humor important?