Comedic genres
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| [[Image:The Raven.jpg|thumb|right|200px|In 1963, [[Roger Corman]] directed ''[[The Raven (1963 film)|The Raven]]'', a [[horror-comedy]] written by [[Richard Matheson]] very loosely based on the poem, "[[The Raven]]" by [[Edgar Allan Poe]]. It stars [[Vincent Price]], [[Peter Lorre]], and [[Boris Karloff]] as a trio of rival [[Magic (paranormal)|sorcerers]].]] | [[Image:The Raven.jpg|thumb|right|200px|In 1963, [[Roger Corman]] directed ''[[The Raven (1963 film)|The Raven]]'', a [[horror-comedy]] written by [[Richard Matheson]] very loosely based on the poem, "[[The Raven]]" by [[Edgar Allan Poe]]. It stars [[Vincent Price]], [[Peter Lorre]], and [[Boris Karloff]] as a trio of rival [[Magic (paranormal)|sorcerers]].]] | ||
| {{Template}} | {{Template}} | ||
| - | :''[[laughter]], [[satire]], [[derision]]'' | + | :''[[comedy]], [[humor]], [[derision]]'' |
| - | '''Comedy''' has a classical meaning (comical [[theatre]]) and a popular one (the use of [[humour]] with an intent to provoke [[laughter]] in general). In the [[theater]], its Western origins are in ancient Greece, like [[tragedy]], a [[genre]] characterised by a grave fall from grace by a protagonist having high social standing. Comedy, by contrast, portrays a conflict between a young [[hero]] and an older authority, a confrontation described by [[Northrop Frye]] as a struggle between a "society of youth" and a "society of the old". A more recent development is to regard this struggle as a mere [[pretext]] for disguise, a comical device centered on uncertainties regarding the meaning of social identity. The basis of comedy would then be a plot mechanism conceived to engender misunderstandings either about a hero's identity or about social being in general. | + | [[Comedy]] may be divided into multiple [[genre]]s based on the source of humor, the method of delivery, and the context in which it is delivered. |
| - | Returning to the popular term comedy, it is known to be difficult to describe. Humor being subjective, one may or may not find something humorous because it is either too [[offensive]] or not offensive enough. Comedy is judged according to a person’s taste. Some enjoy [[cerebral]] fare such as [[irony]] or [[black comedy]]; others may prefer ''[[Toilet humour|scatological humor]]'' (e.g. the "[[flatulence|fart]] joke") or ''[[slapstick]]''. A common [[gender]] [[stereotype]] that plays on this convention is that men love the comedy of The [[Three Stooges]], while women do not. | + | These classifications overlap, and most [[comedians]] can fit into multiple genres. For example, deadpan comics often fall into observational comedy, or into black comedy or blue comedy to contrast the morbidity or offensiveness of the joke with a lack of emotion. |
| - | While hard to pin down, it can safely be said that most good comedy, as with a good [[joke]], contains within it variations on the elements of surprise, incongruity, conflict, and the effect of opposite expectations. The audience becomes a part of the experience, if it is to be successful. Sometimes, it is the fulfillment of the expectation which is part of the experience, such as the long "take" of a Jack Benny, resolved, [[paradox]]ically, when the expected happens. Comedy is a serious business, and one only knows it when one sees it or hears it. | + | {| class="wikitable" |
| - | ==Forms of comedy== | + | |- |
| - | :''[[comedy genres]]'' | + | ! Type !! Description !! Famous comedians/comedy shows |
| - | * [[Pun]] | + | |- |
| - | * [[Fantasy]] | + | | [[Black comedy]] or dark comedy || Black comedy deals with disturbing subjects such as [[death]], [[drugs]], [[terrorism]], [[rape]], and [[war]]. Some dark comedy is similar to the [[horror (genre)|horror]] movie genre. Television examples include ''[[Brass Eye]]''. || [[Chris Morris (satirist)|Chris Morris]], [[Jim Norton]], [[Bill Hicks]], [[Denis Leary]], [[Richard Pryor]], [[George Carlin]], [[Penn & Teller]], [[Patrice Oneal]], [[Rich Vos]], [[Jeff Duran]], [[The League of Gentlemen (comedy)|The League of Gentlemen]], [[Christopher Titus]], [[Sacha Baron Cohen]], [[Doug Stanhope]], [[Brother Theodore]], [[Tom Lehrer]], [[Shel Silverstein]] |
| - | * [[Observational humor|Observational]] | + | |- |
| - | * [[Irony]] | + | |Blue comedy || Comedy based on [[sexism]], [[racism]] and [[homophobic]] views, also based on [[Sex]]ual jokes and in which the comedian uses a lot of swear words. || [[Jim Davidson]], [[Andrew Dice Clay]], [[Bernard Manning]], [[Jeff Duran]], [[Roy 'Chubby' Brown]], [[George Lopez]], [[Doug Stanhope]], [[Tommy Tiernan]], [[Redd Foxx]], [[Bob Saget]], [[Ron White]], [[Dave Attell]] |
| - | * [[Satire]] | + | |- |
| - | ** [[Parody]] | + | |Character comedy || Character comedy derives humor from a persona invented by a performer. Much character comedy comes from [[stereotype]]s. || [[Andy Kaufman]], [[Paul Eddington]], [[Andrew Dice Clay]], [[Rich Hall]], [[Tim Allen]], [[John Gordon Sinclair]], [[Lenny Henry]], [[Sacha Baron Cohen]], [[Christopher Ryan]], [[Steve Guttenberg]], [[Steve Coogan]], [[Marcel Marceau|Bip]], [[Jay London]], [[Larry the Cable Guy]], [[Sarah Silverman]], [[Rob Brydon]], [[Peter Helliar]], [[Harry Enfield]], [[Margaret Cho]], [[Little Britain]], [[Stephen Colbert]] |
| - | ** [[Political satire]] | + | |- |
| - | ** [[Black comedy]] | + | | [[Improvisational comedy]] || Improvisational (sometimes shortened to improv) comics rarely plan out their routines. Prime examples of this kind of comic can be seen on the television shows ''[[Curb Your Enthusiasm]]'' ''[[Whose Line Is It Anyway?]]'' and ''[[Thank God You're Here]]''. || [[Robin Williams]], [[Jonathan Winters]], [[Paula Poundstone]], [[Paul Merton]], [[Tony Slattery]], [[Josie Lawrence]], [[Jim Sweeney (comedian)|Jim Sweeney]], [[Steve Steen]], [[Wayne Brady]], [[Ryan Stiles]], [[Colin Mochrie]], [[Drew Carey]], [[Greg Proops]], [[John Sessions]], [[Neil Mullarkey]], [[Kathy Greenwood]]. |
| - | * [[Slapstick]] | + | |- |
| - | * [[Deadpan]] | + | |[[Observational comedy]]||Observational comedy pokes fun at [[everyday life]], often by inflating the importance of trivial things or by observing the silliness of something that society accepts as normal.|| [[Jerry Seinfeld]], [[Larry David]], [[George Carlin]], [[Bill Cosby]], [[Mitch Hedberg]], [[Billy Connolly]], [[Ray Romano]], [[Dane Cook]], [[Dave Hughes]], [[Ricky Gervais]], [[Janeane Garofalo]], [[Chris Rock]], [[Jeff Foxworthy]], [[Jim Gaffigan]], [[Kathy Greenwood]], [[Ellen DeGeneres]], [[Peter Kay]], [[Russell Peters]], [[Demetri Martin]], [[Tommy Tiernan]], [[Carl Barron]], [[Lee Evans]], [[Michael Mcintyre]] |
| - | * [[Tragicomedy]] | + | |- |
| - | + | |[[Alternative comedy]]||Differing from traditional punchline jokes which features many other forms of comedy such as Observation, Satire, Surrealism, Slapstick and Improvisation||[[Alexei Sayle]], [[Mark Steel]], [[Dave Gorman]], [[Linda Smith]], [[Jeremy Hardy]], [[Ron Sparks]], [[Alan Davies]], [[Jo Brand]], [[Sean Hughes]], [[Rik Mayall]], [[Adrian Edmonson]] | |
| - | ==Performing arts== | + | |- |
| - | ===History=== | + | |[[Physical comedy]] || Somewhat similar to [[slapstick]], this form of comedy uses physical movement and gestures. Physical comedy is often influenced by [[clown]]ing. || [[Jim Carrey]], [[Norman Wisdom]], [[Jerry Lewis]], [[Robin Williams]], [[Conan O'Brien]], [[Mr. Bean]], [[Lee Evans]], [[Max Wall]], [[Matthew Perry (actor)|Matthew Perry]], [[Kathy Greenwood]], [[The Three Stooges]], [[Lano & Woodley]] |
| - | * [[Ancient Greek comedy]], as practiced by [[Aristophanes]] and [[Menander]] | + | |- |
| - | * [[Ancient Roman comedy]], as practiced by [[Plautus]] and [[Terence]] | + | |[[Prop comedy]] || Comedy that relies on ridiculous props, or everyday objects used in humorous ways. || [[Carrot Top]], [[Jeff Dunham]], [[Leo Gallagher|Gallagher]], [[Timmy Mallett]], [[The Amazing Johnathan]] |
| - | * [[Burlesque]], from [[Music hall]] and [[Vaudeville]] to [[Performance art]] | + | |- |
| - | * [[City comedy|Citizen comedy]], as practiced by [[Thomas Dekker (poet)|Thomas Dekker]], [[Thomas Middleton]] and [[Ben Jonson]] | + | |[[Surreal humour|Surreal comedy]] || Surreal humour is a form of [[humor]] based on bizarre [[juxtaposition]]s, [[absurd]] situations, and [[nonsense]] logic. || [[Spike Milligan]], [[Eddie Izzard]], [[Ross Noble]], [[Bill Bailey]], [[The Mighty Boosh]], [[Steven Wright]], [[Monty Python]], [[Vic and Bob]], [[Jack Handey]], [[Harry Hill]], [[The Kids in the Hall]], [[Conan O'Brien]], [[Tim and Eric]], [[Paul Merton]]. |
| - | * [[Clown]]s such as [[Richard Tarlton]], [[William Kempe]], Yukko the Clown and [[Robert Armin]] | + | |- |
| - | * [[Comedy of humours]], as practiced by [[Ben Jonson]] and [[George Chapman]] | + | |[[Deadpan]] comedy||Not strictly a style of comedy. Telling jokes without a change in face expression or change in emotion||[[Jack Dee]], [[Jimmy Carr]], [[Steven Wright]], [[Peter Cook]], [[Buster Keaton]], [[Bill Murray]], [[Jim Gaffigan]], [[The Office]], [[Les Dawson]], [[Mike Birbiglia]], [[Mitch Hedberg]], [[Bruce McCulloch]], [[Demetri Martin]], [[Elliott Goblet]] |
| - | * Comedy of intrigue, as practiced by [[Niccolò Machiavelli]] and [[Lope de Vega]] | + | |- |
| - | * [[Comedy of manners]], as practiced by [[Molière]], [[William Wycherley]] and [[William Congreve]] | + | |Topical comedy/[[Satire]]||Topical comedy relies on headlining/important news and current affairs. It dates quickly, but is a popular form of comedy for late night [[talk show]]s. || [[Bill Hicks]], [[Chris Morris]] [[Dennis Miller]], [[Conan O'Brien]], [[David Letterman]], [[Jay Leno]], [[Andy Hamilton]], [[Bill Maher]], [[Ian Hislop]], [[Paul Merton]], [[Chris Morris (satirist)|Chris Morris]], [[Kathy Griffin]], [[Jon Stewart]], [[Stephen Colbert]], [[Stewart Lee]], [[Rory Bremner]], [[Ben Elton]], [[David Cross]], [[Lewis Black]], [[Dave Chapelle]], [[The Chaser]], [[The Late Show]], [[Have I Got News For You]], [[Mock The Week]] |
| - | * [[Comedy of menace]], as practiced by [[David Campton]] and [[Harold Pinter]] | + | |- |
| - | * ''[[comédie larmoyante]]'' or 'tearful comedy', as practiced by [[Pierre-Claude Nivelle de La Chaussée]] and [[Louis-Sébastien Mercier]] | + | |[[Wit]]/[[Word play]]||Wit and word play are more intellectual forms of comedy based on clever, often subtle manipulation of language (though [[puns]] can be crude and [[farce|farcical]]). || [[Groucho Marx]], [[William Shakespeare]], [[The Simpsons]], [[Oscar Wilde]], [[Woody Allen]], [[George Carlin]]. |
| - | * ''[[Commedia dell'arte]]'', as practiced in the twentieth-century by [[Dario Fo]], [[Vsevolod Meyerhold]] and [[Jacques Copeau]] | + | |- |
| - | * [[Farce]], from [[Georges Feydeau]] to [[Joe Orton]] and [[Alan Ayckbourn]] | + | |[[Insult Comedy]]||Insult comedy is a form of comedy which consists mainly of offensive insults directed at the performer's audience and/or other performers. |
| - | * [[Jester]] | + | |[[Don Rickles]], [[Chris Rock]], [[Andrew Dice Clay]], [[Frankie Boyle]], [[Sam Kinison]], [[Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog]], [[Roy 'Chubby' Brown]], [[Marcus Valerius Martialis]], [[Jeffrey Ross]], [[Lisa Lampanelli]]. |
| - | * Laughing comedy, as practiced by [[Oliver Goldsmith]] and [[Richard Brinsley Sheridan]] | + | |- |
| - | * [[Restoration comedy]], as practiced by [[George Etherege]], [[Aphra Behn]] and [[John Vanbrugh]] | + | |[[Mockumentary]]|| A fiction film that parodies the conventions of documentary style. |
| - | * Sentimental comedy, as practiced by [[Colley Cibber]] and [[Richard Steele]] | + | |[[Borat]], [[This is Spinal Tap]], [[The Monkees]], [[The Rutles]], [[Summer Heights High]], [[Electric Apricot: Quest for Festeroo]]. |
| - | * [[Shakespearean comedy]], as practiced by [[William Shakespeare]] | + | |- |
| - | * [[Stand-up comedy]] | + | |[[Cringe Comedy]]||A comedy of embarrassment, in which the humour comes from inappropriate actions or words. Usually popular in television shows and film, but occasionally in stand-up as well. |
| - | * [[Dada]]ist and [[Surrealism|Surrealist]] performance, usually in [[cabaret]] form | + | |[[Ricky Gervais]], [[Richard Herring]], [[The Office]], [[Alan Partridge]], [[Curb Your Enthusiasm]], [[Peep Show]], [[The Proposal]] |
| - | * [[Theatre of the Absurd]], used by some critics to describe [[Samuel Beckett]], [[Harold Pinter]], [[Jean Genet]] and [[Eugène Ionesco]] | + | |- |
| - | * [[Sketch comedy]] | + | |[[Sketch]]|| A small episode of comedy practised and recorded. |
| - | + | |[[Jennifer Saunders]], [[Monty Python]], [[Saturday Night Live]], [[Firesign Theater]], [[In Living Color]], [[Catherine Tate]]. | |
| - | + | |} | |
| - | + | ||
| - | ===Opera=== | + | |
| - | * [[Comic opera]] | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | ===Improvisational comedy=== | + | |
| - | * [[Improvisational comedy]] | + | |
| - | ====Clowns==== | + | |
| - | * [[Bouffon]] comedy | + | |
| - | * [[Clowns]] | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | ====Stand-up comedy==== | + | |
| - | [[Stand-up comedy]] is a mode of comic performance in which the performer addresses the audience directly, with the absence of the theatrical "[[fourth wall]]", and usually speaks in his own person (rather than as a [[drama]]tic [[character]]). | + | |
| - | * [[Comedian]] | + | |
| - | * [[List of musical comedians|Musical comedy]] | + | |
| - | * Comedy albums | + | |
| - | * [[Comedy club]] | + | |
| - | * [[Stand-up comedy]] | + | |
| - | ** [[Impressionist (entertainment)]] | + | |
| - | ** [[Alternative comedy]] | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | ===Jokes=== | + | |
| - | * [[One-liner joke]] | + | |
| - | * [[Blonde jokes]] | + | |
| - | * [[Shaggy dog story|Shaggy-dog story]] | + | |
| - | * [[An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman|Paddy Irishman joke]] | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | == See also == | + | |
| - | *[[Satire]] | + | |
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
Revision as of 14:22, 19 April 2009
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Comedy may be divided into multiple genres based on the source of humor, the method of delivery, and the context in which it is delivered.
These classifications overlap, and most comedians can fit into multiple genres. For example, deadpan comics often fall into observational comedy, or into black comedy or blue comedy to contrast the morbidity or offensiveness of the joke with a lack of emotion.
Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Comedic genres" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.
