Anti-humor: Difference between revisions
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'''Anti-humor''' (or '''anti-comedy''') and '''anti-jokes'''<ref>[[Paul Lewis (professor)|Paul Lewis]], "Joke and Anti-Joke: Three Jews and a Blindfold", ''[[The Journal of Popular Culture]]'', 1987, Vol. 21, Issue 1, pp. 63-73</ref> (also known as '''unjokes''') are a kind of [[humor]] based on the [[surprise factor]] of absence of an expected [[joke]] or of a [[punch line]] in a narration which is set up as a joke. This kind of [[anticlimax]] is similar to that of the [[shaggy dog story]].<ref name=shibles>[[Warren A. Shibles]], [http://facstaff.uww.edu/shiblesw/humorbook/ Humor Reference Guide: A Comprehensive Classification and Analysis] (Hardcover) 1998 ISBN 0809320975</ref> In fact, John Henderson, author of ''Writing Down Rome: Satire, Comedy, and Other Offences in Latin Poetry'', sees the "shaggy dog story" as a type of anti-joke.<ref>John Henderson, Writing Down Rome: Satire, Comedy, and Other Offences in Latin Poetry (1999) ISBN 0198150776, [http://books.google.com/books?id=uAllRLeoXqYC&pg=PA218&dq=%22anti-joke%22+-wikipedia&sig=lNZmQidTk0cuuoKISaT6HWdjbxQ p. 218]</ref> In anti-comedy the gist of the humor is in how poor the joke is or how poorly it was told.<ref>[http://thoughtcatalog.com/2010/edward-aczel-kim-noble-anti-comedy "The Humor of Anti-Comedy, The Shock"], by Killian Fox, May 16, 2010</ref> |
'''Anti-humor''' (or '''anti-comedy''') and '''anti-jokes'''<ref>[[Paul Lewis (professor)|Paul Lewis]], "Joke and Anti-Joke: Three Jews and a Blindfold", ''[[The Journal of Popular Culture]]'', 1987, Vol. 21, Issue 1, pp. 63-73</ref> (also known as '''unjokes''') are a kind of [[humor]] based on the [[surprise factor]] of absence of an expected [[joke]] or of a [[punch line]] in a narration which is set up as a joke. This kind of [[anticlimax]] is similar to that of the [[shaggy dog story]].<ref name=shibles>[[Warren A. Shibles]], [http://facstaff.uww.edu/shiblesw/humorbook/ Humor Reference Guide: A Comprehensive Classification and Analysis] (Hardcover) 1998 ISBN 0809320975</ref> In fact, John Henderson, author of ''Writing Down Rome: Satire, Comedy, and Other Offences in Latin Poetry'', sees the "shaggy dog story" as a type of anti-joke.<ref>John Henderson, Writing Down Rome: Satire, Comedy, and Other Offences in Latin Poetry (1999) ISBN 0198150776, [http://books.google.com/books?id=uAllRLeoXqYC&pg=PA218&dq=%22anti-joke%22+-wikipedia&sig=lNZmQidTk0cuuoKISaT6HWdjbxQ p. 218]</ref> In anti-comedy the gist of the humor is in how poor the joke is or how poorly it was told.<ref>[http://thoughtcatalog.com/2010/edward-aczel-kim-noble-anti-comedy "The Humor of Anti-Comedy, The Shock"], by Killian Fox, May 16, 2010</ref> |
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A popular kind of unjoke involves any seemingly humorous setup leading to the non-sequitur "punchline" of "[[No soap, radio]]" or the joke "A man walks into a bar. He is an alcoholic and it's destroying his family." Another form of anti-humor is poking fun at bad humor by the way of [[parody]]. An example is ''[[Jim's Journal]]'', a comic strip by [[Scott Dikkers]], co-founder of ''[[The Onion]]'', whose four-panel strips end without any sort of punchline. [[Alternative comedy]], among its other aspects, parodies the traditional idea of the joke as a form of humor.<ref>Andrew Stott (2005) "Comedy", ISBN 0415299330, [http://books.google.com/books?id=ZFmEDTxID1YC&pg=PA119&dq=%22anti-joke%22+-wikipedia&sig=vRjt7tgsE3WQmuLOaf4lj8CYH4A p. 119]</ref> [[Andy Kaufman]] saw himself as a practitioner of anti-humor. Other comedians known for their anti-humor are Tim and Eric of the [[Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!]], [[Norm Macdonald (comedian)|Norm Macdonald]], [[Ted Chippington]], [[Neil Hamburger]], [[Corey Mystyshyn]], [[Jimmy Carr]], and [[Bill Bailey]]. |
A popular kind of unjoke involves any seemingly humorous setup leading to the non-sequitur "punchline" of "[[No soap, radio]]" or the joke "A man walks into a bar. He is an alcoholic and it's destroying his family." Another form of anti-humor is poking fun at bad humor by the way of [[parody]]. An example is ''[[Jim's Journal]]'', a comic strip by [[Scott Dikkers]], co-founder of ''[[The Onion]]'', whose four-panel strips end without any sort of punchline. [[Alternative comedy]], among its other aspects, parodies the traditional idea of the joke as a form of humor.<ref>Andrew Stott (2005) "Comedy", ISBN 0415299330, [http://books.google.com/books?id=ZFmEDTxID1YC&pg=PA119&dq=%22anti-joke%22+-wikipedia&sig=vRjt7tgsE3WQmuLOaf4lj8CYH4A p. 119]</ref> [[Andy Kaufman]] saw himself as a practitioner of anti-humor. Other comedians known for their anti-humor are Tim and Eric of the [[Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!]], [[Norm Macdonald (comedian)|Norm Macdonald]], [[Ted Chippington]], [[Neil Hamburger]], [[Corey Mystyshyn]], [[Jimmy Carr]], [[Andy Koffman]] and [[Bill Bailey]]. |
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Even ''[[The David Steinberg Show]]'' could be seen as an early example of anti-comedy as [[TV series]]: it is certainly a precursor to the ''Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!'' in its use of [[metahumor]] and [[self reference]] and its constant use of unjokes (albeit in a much less aggressively [[dadaist]] manner than that of ''Tim and Eric'').{{fact|date=August 2010}} |
Even ''[[The David Steinberg Show]]'' could be seen as an early example of anti-comedy as [[TV series]]: it is certainly a precursor to the ''Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!'' in its use of [[metahumor]] and [[self reference]] and its constant use of unjokes (albeit in a much less aggressively [[dadaist]] manner than that of ''Tim and Eric'').{{fact|date=August 2010}} |
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Revision as of 20:15, 16 October 2010
Anti-humor (or anti-comedy) and anti-jokes[1] (also known as unjokes) are a kind of humor based on the surprise factor of absence of an expected joke or of a punch line in a narration which is set up as a joke. This kind of anticlimax is similar to that of the shaggy dog story.[2] In fact, John Henderson, author of Writing Down Rome: Satire, Comedy, and Other Offences in Latin Poetry, sees the "shaggy dog story" as a type of anti-joke.[3] In anti-comedy the gist of the humor is in how poor the joke is or how poorly it was told.[4]
A popular kind of unjoke involves any seemingly humorous setup leading to the non-sequitur "punchline" of "No soap, radio" or the joke "A man walks into a bar. He is an alcoholic and it's destroying his family." Another form of anti-humor is poking fun at bad humor by the way of parody. An example is Jim's Journal, a comic strip by Scott Dikkers, co-founder of The Onion, whose four-panel strips end without any sort of punchline. Alternative comedy, among its other aspects, parodies the traditional idea of the joke as a form of humor.[5] Andy Kaufman saw himself as a practitioner of anti-humor. Other comedians known for their anti-humor are Tim and Eric of the Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job!, Norm Macdonald, Ted Chippington, Neil Hamburger, Corey Mystyshyn, Jimmy Carr, Andy Koffman and Bill Bailey.
Even The David Steinberg Show could be seen as an early example of anti-comedy as TV series: it is certainly a precursor to the Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job! in its use of metahumor and self reference and its constant use of unjokes (albeit in a much less aggressively dadaist manner than that of Tim and Eric).[citation needed]
See also
References
- ^ Paul Lewis, "Joke and Anti-Joke: Three Jews and a Blindfold", The Journal of Popular Culture, 1987, Vol. 21, Issue 1, pp. 63-73
- ^ Warren A. Shibles, Humor Reference Guide: A Comprehensive Classification and Analysis (Hardcover) 1998 ISBN 0809320975
- ^ John Henderson, Writing Down Rome: Satire, Comedy, and Other Offences in Latin Poetry (1999) ISBN 0198150776, p. 218
- ^ "The Humor of Anti-Comedy, The Shock", by Killian Fox, May 16, 2010
- ^ Andrew Stott (2005) "Comedy", ISBN 0415299330, p. 119