Humor:  Kinds and Qualities

        I'm a pretty fun-loving kind of guy.  I like to laugh, as it takes my mind off of the horrible, horrible state of affairs our world has been in since very near the beginning.  Hehe, oh well.  So anyway, one time I was thinking about humor and so forth (it's really a puzzling thing why people laugh.  Doesn't seem natural at all.), and I came up with a list that should cover most kinds of humor.  See what you think and if this stuff fits.

Absurdity - Just completely, random, off-the-wall goofiness.  Many examples of this from
    Invader Zim’s GIR to Jim Carry and beyond.

Irony - Situational comedies, where nothing is as it seems.  Like when the restaurant is
    blamed if someone is stupid enough to burn themselves with coffee.  Shakespeare
    also used great bits of irony, though not quite so infantile as the previous case.

Insult - It’s funny when people get hurt, verbally in this case.  Covers everything from
    “Yo Momma” to “I'll use small words so that you'll be sure to understand, you
    warthog-faced buffoon.”

Lewdness - If it’s really gross, it’s funny.  Dirty jokes have been told since the beginning
    of language.  For decency’s sake, I won’t cite examples.

Pun - Plays on words, twisting language for humor’s sake.  Many people find them
    confusing or torturous.  Like never ending knock-knock jokes that usually only stop
    with the death of the teller.  Remember, though, a boiled egg in the morning is hard to
    beat.

Running Gag - The humor is found in the recurrence of the joke.  The joke itself may be
    of another form (such as an absurdity or pun), but the real fun is that it is done
    over and over and over again.  Running gags are a bit archaic by today’s
    standards, but indeed are quite humorous.  See old I. Freleng Looney Tunes
    cartoons or just laugh every time Kramer bursts into Jerry Seinfeld’s apartment.

Sarcasm - Quintessential of the guy in the back of the class who keeps making comments.
    It serves as a subset of irony which is meant more for injury against an individual.
    Often used to keep people from making useless definitions and lists about topics
    such as humor.

Slapstick - It’s funny when people get hurt, physically in this case.  The masters of such
    humor are more than likely the Three Stooges.  Numerous others from Carry to
    Chris Farley and on down.


Back
OU Home | Disclaimer | Copyright | Equal Opportunity | OU Web Policy