|
Comedy is one of the features of life that make it worth living. Even though life presents people with lots of challenges and heartache, humor provides a release and coping option for even the direst situations. The reason that people are so adaptable and persevere through impossible odds might have something to do with the spirit that gave rise to comedy. But how does comedy work? Why can people find something funny about awkwardness or discomfort? There are lots of sociologists and psychologists that look into the way that comedy functions on a biological and social level. Some of their conclusions have filtered into mainstream acceptance because their root theory has been proven over and over. For example, it seems that comedy functions as a necessary release for tension across cultures, according to noted humor scholar John Meyer, who researches at the University of Southern Mississippi. This article will tell you about the history and theories behind how humor developed. To experience it first hand, go to renowned comedy venues like the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles; for the brainy stuff, read on! A Brief History of Comedy Nobody knows who cracked the first joke, or what humor looked like before civilizations developed writing. Even if there were jokes imprinted in Egyptian hieroglyphics, it's so far removed from current societies that nobody would likely recognize it as a joke. Some of the first records of jokes that history provides the western world are from ancient Greece and Rome. Aristophanes lived in the Classical period of Greek history, right around 400 BC. He was a famous playwright who wrote comedies about political issues, satirizing leaders and popular opinions of his times. Many of his plays were so beloved that they were handed down for over a thousand years, and can still be read today. Many other famous Greek playwrights jotted down dirty jokes and witty puns alike, including Euripides and Sophocles. Very few other comedic plays survive beyond Aristophanes, however, partly because medieval sentiments were offended by the material and destroyed the works. The Romans created what is called New Comedy. Plays in this genre had stock characters that persist in modern TV and jokes today. Menander is one of the most famous comic playwrights of this category. Different Types of Humor Many people are familiar with the break between what is called high and low comedy. High comedy is usually thought of as more intellectual and depends on prior knowledge. Puns and humorous allusions are classified as high comedy. Low comedy is slapstick or body comedy. Shakespeare included both types of comedy in his most respected work, proving that a good balance of both makes for the best works of art, but many comedians specialize in writing or acting out one type or another. A comedian's personality in front of a crowd is shaped by which type of humor she or he is most talented in executing. Cultural Issues: When Humor Doesn't Translate One interesting facet of humor is that it doesn't always translate. For example, some TV shows, like Seinfeld, are wildly popular in some countries but utterly unsuccessful in others. Different cultures view social concepts, including shame, embarrassment, relationships, and many others, in ways that make it more or less difficult to find something funny. If you want to see what you find funny, based on your individual or cultural background, the best way to do it is to go to comedy shows at venues like Laugh Factory in Los Angeles. At big venues with up-and-coming comics, you can see what types of topics are trending in the comedy circuit and which new comics are your favorites.
Related Articles -
augh, factory, los, angeles,
| 
