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I'm bringing up this topic to discuss the use of humor in writing. Specifically, the use of a particular style of writing to talk about something totally incongruous to it. For example, go here: http://parents.berkeley.edu/jokes/lamentations.html
That is truly hilarious. Other examples are things like HSO's rewrite of his own writing sample in F&F.
Have any of you done things like that or want to try? I don't know, it justs sounds fun to me. But I'm not sure I could pull it off myself.
posted
Thank you soooo much for posting this link. The author was on Prarie Home Companion years ago and it's one of the few times I actually dropped to my knees I was laughing so hard. He had the perfect liturgical delivery.
I don't think I've tried this sort of pastiche, on the written page, but I have done it on stage. It's hard there, but I think one of the reasons it's harder on the page is because you have to rely completely on language to set the tone. On stage you can use inflection and body language to convey that it's humorous. Even there, we talk about "giving the audience permission to laugh." There has to be a moment when they realize that something is supposed to be funny and then they can laugh. Witness the trouble with my rewrite of HSO's piece on F&F...
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Obviously written by a parent of a toddler. Too funny and too in the know not to have been. Thanks for posting that. I'm fascinated by humor of many sorts, but have little ability to produce it on the page (and I rarely tell jokes when I'm preaching either; one of those things that's better left undone if you don't do it well). I'm working on humor in the occassional flash challenge; I'll get the hang of writing it someday, perhaps. Any specific experiments that you have in mind, keep me informed.
Posts: 491 | Registered: Oct 2004
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