1. Comedy Ladder
Comedy just pokes at problems, rarely confronts them squarely. Drama is like a plate of meat and potatoes, comedy is rather dessert, like a bit of meringue.
- Woody Allen

2. How comedy affects us: Appeals to head, not heart.
INCONGRUITY is humorous.
Comedy lifts us out of the emotional response to an idea or situation
Opportunity to use comedy as a lever for social change

3. Existential Element Main principle-
No man knows who he is, that he cannot see his true mirror image but only what he wants to see.
Reversal of roles, exaggerations, and understatements
Surprise our mental expectations and make us see things differently.

4. Comedic Characters
Simple- we can readily see his distorted views that have made him a fool in other men’s eyes.
Incongruous with the social norms of comedic setting

5. Comedic Action
Repeated actions of fool in multiple situations show distortion
Much of the fun of the comedy are the reactions of other characters to the fool’s repetitive stupidity.

6. Audience Reaction
Although we scorn the blindness of the fool, we realize we share, to some extent, his distorted views (stereotypes).
This enables “us” to see our own rigidity or reluctance to change, hence, creating social changes

7. 3 Literary Elements that Create Comedy
INCONGRUITY- when logic is not in play with characters, settings or situations
DERISION – when the reader is placed in a position of superiority over the characters
AUTOMATON – when characters are like robots or creatures of habit

8. Comedy Ladder
HIGH
LOW
FARCE

9. Low Comedy Lowest form of humor Evokes the loudest, longest laughter
Relies on the body and physical mishaps
Bathroom humor
Slapstick
Tripping, falling
Any bodily function

10. Low Comedy Examples
Dumb and Dumber
Bridesmaids
Mr. Bean
Pink Panther

11. Farce
Characters are controlled by situations -they seem to have no control
Relies on plot devices:
Misunderstandings
Mistaken identities
Coincidences
Mistiming

12. Farce Examples
Seinfeld
Wrong Doug
Date Night

13. High Comedy Relies on a skillful use of language – verbal wit
Two Types:
Comedy of Manners
Comedy of Ideas

14. Comedy of Manners
Examines and satirizes the attitudes and customs of different members of high society
Relies of verbal repartee: clever insults, put-downs, puns, paradoxes
Does not hesitate to sacrifice a character’s sensitivity for the cause

15. Examples
Mean Girls Clip
Arthur
10 Things I Hate About You

16. Comedy of Ideas
Characters argue about important issues like war, gender, marriage, religion, class and government.
Satire focuses on the foolish ideas behind an issue and ridicules the thinking and approach to the debate.

17. Comedy of Ideas
21 Jump Street
Press Secretary
The Newsroom

18. Satire
Horatian – Gentle humor – aims to correct by broadly sympathetic laughter – not destructive satire - named for Roman poet, Horace.
Juvenalian – Biting, bitter, angry – it points out injustices with contempt and indignation – named after Roman poet, Juvenal

19. Elements of Satire Hyperbole Incongruity Reversal Parody Sarcasm
Juxtaposition
Understatement
Double Entendre

20. Satire Horatian: Juvenalian Alpha Dog of the Week
Cecilia Jimenez Follow Up
Juvenalian
Hillary trying to be relatable
Election Night

21. Identify the levels of comedy in each of the following
10 Funniest Movie Scenes