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hallawayjoe Andyland 2015-03-02 9:08 AM Humor Previous Entry :: Next Entry Read/Post Comments (0) |
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Humor in poetry- and other genres What makes us laugh and why? When, How, etc... A lot depends on our personal tastes and how they are shaped by our dispositions, upbringings, experiences, cultures, etc... Let us look at what we find funny and why or how and also, at what doesn't work Let us consider the categories, or genres of humor or comedy... satire parody wit pun scatological sex race/ethnic religious political nervous gallows absurdity/dada/nonsense aggression sarcasm slapstick Some of these categories are repetitive, and the list is by no means definitive. We can also detect how humor works in stage settings, ie... stand up comedians, sketch comedy, plays, music, public speaking... and how it works in film, and in writing... whether fiction, non fiction, or even poetry. Then we can also consider humor in the classroom, and in business, or any work situation and also the informal situation... with our friends, families and loved ones... Now, I primarily work in the genre of poetry. My stand up experience was limited to a few attempts during open mics, but poetry gave me the permission to not be funny, to not entertain the audience, and to explore the art for its own sake. It also allows me to be disorganized and not make sense. The exception to this is performance poetry ala slams and open mic readings where the audience will judge you. I often have poems that are performance oriented, like little plays, these three minute long monologues have to deliver the goods in that amount of time. I will analyze my poems Mack The Nugget, Another Nautch in My Roodle, Don't go outside testosterone its spermicide out there, MotorCycle, For The Children, Sermon on the Sleigh, and my new one Right Said Fudd. These poems are all written for the slam venue, or similar performance type setting. They do not do themselves justice at a podium with a quiet reading of academics and literary afficionados... these are poems for packed coffeehouses or bars... They could also work as vignettes on stage in small theaters. It helps that the audience will have eye contact with me and be able to read my facial expressions... although I don't necessarily plan out my gestures or facial expressions, some poets do make good use of these non verbals to drive home their message. All of my above poems are based on humor Mack The Nugget is using food as a metaphor for sex. and absurdity through its imagery, its political references, and at its heart it is a love poem, a seduction... if you were my lover, I would... Let me be a cow, what kind of cow do you want? Simple in its scaffolding. I owe Vogue Robinson credit for making me revise it, acknowledging that it can't just be clever and wacky, but it needs to have a point. Some through line... |
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