***ESSAY ON HUMOUR*** (1st Year of Undergrad) --> Last *WRITING* Assignment of the Year I think... ________________________________________ By *HARJOT ATWAL* (Mar. 1, 2006) // 1B06 Writing // Dr. Browning WORD COUNT: 746 Humourous writing has many purposes from simply trying to induce laughter to making political or social criticism. The comical effect is most often created by taking events or objects from the natural world and reproducing them on an exaggerated stage where they are ridiculed. In Stephen Leacock’s Hoodoo McFiggin’s Christmas and Laurence Sterne’s The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, many different techniques and literary features are used to develop these hyperbolic situations. For example, repetition and irony are employed to lengthen the chain of events in order to place emphasis on the more ridiculous aspects of the stories. The scenario, however, will only be humourous if the reader is able to relate on some level and it is not overly exaggerated to the point of cruelty. Situations are drawn out to create tension in anticipation of an amusing climax. In Sterne’s piece, Phutatorius, the main character, unluckily finds that a hot chestnut has fallen into his pants and is burning his genitals. The premise behind this situation alone is not amusing; it merely seems like an unfortunate event. By describing it in detail, however, Sterne is able to transform this silly incident into a hilarious episode. A progression is shown where the chestnut initially feels pleasant, then irritating and finally unbearable. During this development, ridiculous and hyperbolic statements are made of Phutatorius feeling his soul along with “ten battalions of animal spirits” move to his area of discomfort. These in-depth descriptions build up tension in the reader as he waits to see what Phutatorius will do about his peculiar predicament. Combined with the fact that this pain is of particular unpleasantness for males, these techniques make the narrative very amusing. Rather than being overly descriptive, authors often use literary features to produce tension. In Leacock’s work, repetition and irony are used to exacerbate the hardships faced by the main character. It is the story of a young child, Hoodoo McFiggins, who opens all his Christmas presents to find he has been given only practical gifts, none of which he wanted. By going through Hoodoo’s cycle of emotions before opening each of five packages, a build up is formed where one wonders whether the boy will receive the toy of his dreams. Repetition enhances the feeling of disappointment and lengthens the narrative. Each time the child unwraps a gift, he guesses in excitement what it will be and imagines the ways he could play with it. This is then followed by a statement of contradiction such as “And was it the puppy-dog? No.” In reiterating the idea and following it by a harsh reality, Leacock leads the reader to laugh at the misfortune of Hoodoo. This amusement is added to by the irony that appears throughout the piece. Hoodoo’s emotional reactions, though obviously negative, are described in terms of joy and glee. For example, after receiving a pair of pants, the boy gives a “dry sob of satisfaction” which clearly shows distraught. This reversal, often seen in the same phrase, adds to the repetition to make this account humourous. The situation is amusing only if the reader can empathize with the pain and problems of the individual in the story. The adversity is not funny if it causes grave consequences such as permanent injury or death. In Leacock’s piece, Hoodoo’s story is humourous because most can relate to Christmas settings or more generally not getting what they want. His response is common and it serves as a comfort to the reader that others may take disappointment even worse than they do. While this is humourous to read, more dangerous reaction such as a physical attack on his parents may prove to seem dramatic and bizarre. Similarly, most can identify with an embarrassing event in public such as in The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy but it would not be amusing if it caused permanent damage. Thus, the extent of the consequences must be carefully considered in order for something to remain comical. Humourous writing, which often ridicules an individual, uses many techniques to induce amusement. Literary features such as hyperbole and repetition are used to draw out the situation and produce tension in the reader. This build-up is then sometimes complemented by uses of irony to emphasize the reactions of certain individuals. It is important, however, to bear in mind that too much of the narrative cannot be devoted to developing the situation as the reader may lose interest. The story cannot take the consequences of the problem too far either or it will not seem comical but cruel. Circumstances are most funny when they are relatable to the people reading about them.
Posted on: Thu, 26 Jun 2014 03:06:31 +0000
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