Is it really that funny?
As a rule, I think that in order to be termed humorous, we have to laugh or snigger or make some kind of similar noise for the most part. It can differ in volume. The minimal amount of volume is that which can be heard by the laugher, a very low minimum indeed. I will even go so far as to say that possibly a smirk or a rolling of the eyes and an amused face will suffice (possibly without a noise). However when the “joke” results in this reaction without noise, the “joke” is passing from humorous to absolutely absurd, no longer in grips with reality to any extent, so disconnected as to not make sense in any far-fetched way.
Why do I state these things? Why do I think these are the bare minimum? Because some of the pieces that we are reading just aren’t humorous. They don’t meet these requirements. Many of them are overkill. The particular piece I want to talk about is Mrs. Hezekiah, the woman who cannot shut up or get to her point. This particular piece is of course a shaggy dog story. It goes no where logically. I don’t find it all that humorous. Actually I don’t find it funny at all. It’s kind of annoying.
This piece might actually be a case of “you had to be there”. It’s funny when you are there in person and an otherwise intelligent person rambles on and on and forgets her point. It’s about the delivery and reality. I feel like the Mrs. Hezekiah Bedott story is that same incident that we have all seen and heard only separated farther from the reader by the medium. The reality of it makes it funnier. However, by writing and not speaking this sort of joke, the reader feels separation. This woman is simply a woman who cannot get to the point. Whereas in real life, when someone does this it is usually funny for one reason with ancillary reasons: We know the person. Why does this matter? Have you heard the phrase “O there goes Sally again off talking about anything and everything”. This person is generally someone who is a little absent minded. Probably not the most intelligent person in your group. The funniness may have something to do with the superiority issues we have discussed in depth. And then in the other ancillary situation, an incredibly intelligent person goes off on a tangent because they are so passionate about something and then they miss the point they were trying to make. This I think is funnier. It is a momentary superiority in a way, I guess. These are the only situations I can see myself or my friends laughing at. The story of Bedott is just not funny on a few pages in a book.
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I had a similar reaction to the Mrs. Hezekiah Bedott story. I didn't think it was all that funny, but being that it is included in a humor anthology I've started to think about why I'm resisting the humor in it. Perhaps because it is old, and I am young. Even a few years can change humor sensibilities quite a bit, and these days I don't think we connect to such as thing as the widow stereotype. I also think perhaps we don't find it funny for the very reason that it was assigned reading for a Humor class. Yes, some of the readings are more funny than others, but you have to admit that reading for class is often hurried and half digested. Think of if you would have read the piece in another venue - found it in a newspaper or discovered it somewhere online without the tag "humor" attached. I'm pretty sure my reaction would have been different. I still might not be rolling on the floor, but I might have smiled a little more.
ReplyDeletePerhaps also we resist the humor because if we laugh at it, we are taking part in the stereotyping of women that is no longer fashionable o Context is everything.r even politically correct.
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