Entertaining Humor unit1

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Entertaining Humor—What’s Funny?

Donald M. Huffman1

1 The joy of laughing at a funny story is universal, probably as old as language itself. But, what is it that makes a story or a joke funny?

2 As one who has enjoyed humor since I first recognized it, I’ve made an attempt to explain and discuss humor with students in such diverse cultures as Latin America and China. I’ve done some serious thinking about funny stories. It has been a labor of love2!

3 Why is it that several students in a class will fall out of their chairs laughing after I tell a joke while the rest of the students look as if I’ve just read the weather report?3 Obviously some people are more sensitive to humor than others. And, we recognize that some people tell jokes very well while others struggle to say something funny. We’ve all heard people say, “I like jokes, but I can’t tell one well, and I can never remember them.” Some people have a better sense of humor than others just as some people have more musical talent, mathematical talent, etc. than others. A truly funny person has a joke for every occasion, and when one is told, that triggers an entire string of jokes from that person’s memory bank.4 A humorless person is not likely to be the most popular person in a group. It is reasonable to say that the truly humorous individual is not only well liked, but is often the focus of attention in any gathering.

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4 Even some animals have a sense of humor. My wife’s mother often visited us for extended stays5. She normally didn’t like dogs, but she fell in love with Blitzen—a female Lab6 we had, and the relationship was mutual. Even when young, Blitzen would tease Grandma by very selectively carrying one of her bedroom slippers into the living room where Grandma sat in her favorite, comfortable chair. Blitzen pranced just beyond the reach of Grandma until Grandma was tempted to leave her chair to get the slipper from Blitzen. When Grandma left her chair, Blitzen would quickly jump into the chair, flashing her Lab smile from sparkling brown eyes which clearly said, “Aha, I fooled you again.” 5 Typical jokes or humorous stories have a three-part anatomy that is easily recognized. First is the SETUP (or setting), next is the BODY (or story line), and these are followed by the PUNCH LINE7 (an unexpected or surprise ending) which will make the joke funny if it contains some humor. Usually all three parts are present, and each must be clearly presented8. It helps if the story/joke teller uses gestures and language which are well known to the audience.

6 Humor, as a form of entertainment, can be analyzed in order to discover what makes a funny story or joke seem funny. Here, for example, are some of the most common types of humor. They range from the most obvious humor to the more subtle types.

7 “SLAP-STICK” is the most obvious humor. Its language is simple, direct, and often makes fun of another person or group. Slap-stick was and is the technique of the stand-up comedian9 and the clown. It appeals to all ages and all cultures. Nearly every English-speaking comedian in this century has used the following joke in one form or another. One man asks another, “Who was that

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lady I saw you with last night?” The other replies, “That was no lady, that was my wife.” The humor lies in the fact that the second man is saying that his wife is not a lady. In other words, she is not a refined woman. The joke is no less funny because it is so often used. The audience knows in advance what will be said, because it is classic humor, and any audience values it even more because of its familiarity.

8 Chinese “cross-talk” is a special type of slap-stick in which two Chinese comedians humorously discuss topics such as bureaucrats, family problems, or other personal topics. Cross-talk can be heard anywhere from small village stages to the largest Beijing theatres, and to radio and television. It is clearly a traditional form of humor well understood by Chinese people.

9 A PLAY ON WORDS is not so obvious as slap-stick, but it is funny because of misused or misunderstood language. My favorite example is the story of three elderly gentlemen traveling by train in England. As the train slowed for a stop the first man asked, “Is this Wembley?” “No,” said the second, “It’s Thursday.” “So am I,” said the third man. “Let’s stop for a beer.” We know that older people often do not hear thingsclearly, so the misunderstanding of both Wednesday (for Wembley) and thirsty (for Thursday) makes a nice setup for the punch line delivered by the third man.

10 The famous Chinese cartoonist and humorist Ding Cong is a master of word play. In one of his funny cartoons, a teacher says, “How come10 you completely copied somebody else’s homework?” The young student replies, “I didn’t completely copy it. My name on the page is different.” In another classic Ding Cong cartoon, an irritated father asks, “Tell me, what’s one plus two?” The

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son says, “I don’t know.” The impatient father then says, “For example, you, your mother, and I altogether are how many, you idiot?” The son proudly answers, “Three idiots.” Whether these stories are cartoons or jokes, told by a slap-stick comedian or a cross-talking team, they appeal to people everywhere as funny stories because they have a note11 of reality to them, and the unexpected punch line is quite funny.

11 PUNS are even more subtle forms of word play. They use the technique of similar sounding words or alternative meanings of the same word. Puns are thought by some critics to be the lowest form of humor, but Idisagree with this. Puns require more subtle and sophisticated language skills than most humor forms, but even the very …… 此处隐藏：17135字，全部文档内容请下载后查看。喜欢就下载吧 ……