My next
“What I’ve Learned” essay is coming a little late, but nevertheless I thought I
would write this one about a few of the things I have learned specifically in
Literature and Civilizations II. Beyond the content of the course, this class
has opened my eyes to a unique style of learning as well. Rather than writing
research papers, we are challenged to evaluate our own learning and experiences
throughout the semester. I think this class has given me a chance to assess
where I currently stand as well as the progress I have made instead of just mindlessly
going through the motions like I have in other semesters. Through the readings
and discussions we have had in class, I have also learned quite a bit about
different kinds of humor, why people laugh, and even how to be humorous.
One of the
most interesting things I have learned this semester surprisingly came from
Morreal’s Comic Relief. This book
talked a lot about the different theories of humor and why people laugh at
certain things. The first is the superiority theory, which can be most
adequately demonstrated when watching one of YouTube’s many fail videos. This
theory states that we laugh at the misfortunes of others because we are happy
that they aren’t our own misfortunes. The next theory, the incongruity theory,
states that we laugh when we recognize the inappropriateness of a certain
response or action. We usually have certain expectations of how situations are
supposed to play out—even if we don’t make conscious note of these—and this
theory employs the reasoning that we laugh when the situation violates our
expectations. The relief theory is the last of these theories and it says that
laughter is our body’s response to released tension. For example, when a joke
is being told and we aren’t sure how it is going to end our body builds up
tension that is released through laughter when the punch line is told. I think
that we laugh for a mixture of all of these reasons and probably a few more as
well, depending on the specific person and situation.
I have
learned a lot from Vorhaus’s Comic
Toolbox, which we have read and discussed over the past week. This book is
all about how to be funny and how to write comedic stories. I have never been
very good at creative writing, but this book is excellent at breaking it down
into very small steps so that everyone has the chance to develop a funny story.
One of the most important things this book taught me isn’t just about
storytelling, but instead is something that can be applied to several aspects
of life. Vorhaus tells his readers that it is important to focus more on the
process than the product. If you spend too much time focusing on the product it
will seem much larger and more daunting than it would if you were to just
concentrate on the first step. This can be applied to any project you are
undertaking in life—if you just take it one small step at a time you will be
much less stressed and more successful.
Vorhaus
also gave great tips on how to create a comic character. First you have to ensure
that they have a strong comic perspective. This is their specific outlook on
the world—the lens they look through—and it dictates the decisions they make
and many other aspects of their character. Next, they need an ample amount of
flaws that separate them from the reader and set up their comedic actions in
the story. We then need to add humanity to the character, giving them enough
good characteristics to balance the flaws and ensures that the reader cares
about them. After all, if the reader doesn’t care then he or she won’t laugh.
Finally it is very important to include plenty of exaggeration in all three of
these characteristics to push the limits and make it funny. With all four of
these in mind, you can create millions of unique comic characters for a variety
of different settings.
This only
brushes the surface of everything I have learned about humor in this class, but
I still have two of these essays left to write!
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