The Elements of Comedy 1/10
Posted on 11 March 2009
After putting many jokes and comic situations through my personal cyclotron of humour. I have come up with a list of what I feel are the most basic elements of comedy. Certainly, some of these overlap, but so long as they have distinct characteristics that are not always shared with another element, they went on the list. Here they are:
- Inappropriate action
- Breaking rules: eg physics, society…
- Ignorance and enlightenment
- Transformations and instant inversions
- Unlikely Combinations
- Fear followed quickly by relief
- Frustrated Ambition
You may ask: why are inappropriate action and breaking rules separate elements? You could have a character who every time they see a bug, they squash it. This breaks no rules of society or physics. Let’s say this character is at the same hotel at an entomology conference. Suddenly, stomping on bugs can become very inappropriate and very funny.
Similar questions could be asked as to why I have made “fear” and “surprise” separate elements and have not separated “transformations” and “instant inversions”.
I’ve decided to take my microscope out and examine each of these elements in turn over the next several weeks. In that time you may begin to see the logic behind my selections. Hopefully, we can have a bit of fun while we are at it. I especially look forward to your feedback.
Peace and kindness,