Humor and Revealing Reality

Throughout this semester we have examined a myriad of examples of humor in literature. With an understanding of the theory established in philosophy and psychology, we have brought a critical lens to authors of the modern era to understand how comedy in the Postmodern age relates to the theory of yesteryear. From David Sedaris to Tyler Perry, each of the authors we have studied in this class use humor as a facilitator to reveal elements of reality that are under the surface and also uses it to conceal elements of reality that may hurt the message they are presenting. Humor is the mask and the vehicle by which the author hides behind and uses to move his point along through a narrative or to distract the audience from the author themself. 

Wow, No Thank You

By Samantha Irby

Humor can be used as a facilitator of self-acceptance. Since we read Irby early in the course, I was relatively green to the form of humor we were getting into. However, Irby quickly got me acquainted with the idea of using humor as a way to step away from reality and examine the big picture for a minute to see the triviality of it all.

The Best of Me

By David Sedaris

The foremost introduction to the importance of the auxiliary actions with regards to the conveyance of humor came when we read The Best of Me. Going into our class discussion, I was turned off by Sedaris’ humor. I thought it crude and not as witty as scorning. However, after we listened to The Santaland Diaries in class, it all clicked. I got his humor and I realized that I needed the tone, intonation, and other nuanced elements of the author in order to fully be able to get his voice from the page. 

Bury My Heart at Chuck E Cheese’s

By Tiffany Midge

Midge taught me how humor can be used to reconcile two or more ways of being. Her expose of what it means to be a Native American in the 21st century was hilarious and eyeopening. Her use of humor revealed elements of her lakota culture that add context to her life and her heritage. The humor adds an element that had it not been present would have left the text feel less than full. Midge is a great example about how humor can be used as a mutual link between ingroups and outgroups. 

There There

By Tommy Orange

Tommy Orange’s book used humor to dive into a more nuanced examination of a self split between Native heritage and modern America. Using irony as a facilitator, Orange examines the duality of the inner selves that we keep hidden and the outer selves that we present to the world.

Don’t Make a Black Woman Take Off Her Earrings

By Tyler Perry

There are so many key observations and noteworthy lessons to take from Medea. Though, from a macro perspective and in the examination of the form and Tyler Perry’s relation to it, the character of Medea allows Perry to discuss taboo subjects and lessons with the veneer of humor and the relatability of the character in the Black community. Medea gets away with more than Perry could if he were to come right out and say the things he wants to say. He can hide behind Medea to take the lessons he learned from his mom, aunts, and other Medea figures and condense them into packageable snippets with humor to purvey the message to a greater audience.

Principles of Uncertainty

By Maria Kalman

In our latest reading, not only did I get a further lesson in the significance that having a background in an author can have before diving into a work, but I also came to notice that Kalman’s illustrative background helps her convey her humor because it is a conveyance of her true self-expression in parallel with what she is writing. The abstract distortions of figures in her drawings give context to her parody perspective of the world. She uses the form to help convey this from her writing. The two forms are not separate but work alongside one another to produce a different meaning in conjunction than they do separate and distinct.