Comedic writing often relies on various elements to elicit laughter from the audience. To successfully achieve the comedic effect, there are some foundational concepts that could be leveraged to make a piece elicit the humorous feelings in your readers. In this short article, we discuss three common comedic elements used in successful humor writing: irony, exaggeration, and satire.
- Irony: Irony is a literary technique that involves a contrast between expectations and reality. It creates a humorous effect by presenting something unexpected or contrary to what is anticipated. It can take different forms, such as situational irony or verbal irony.
Example 1: Situational Irony In the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, there is a scene where Juliet drinks a sleeping potion that will make her appear dead. However, Romeo, unaware of this plan, believes Juliet to be truly dead and drinks poison to join her in death. The audience knows that Juliet is alive, creating a tragic irony as the audience watches the characters’ tragic misunderstandings unfold.
Example 2: Verbal Irony In Mark Twain’s novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck’s friend, Tom Sawyer, is known for his imaginative and exaggerated storytelling. When Tom concocts an elaborate plan to free Jim, a runaway slave, he insists on following all the unnecessary and theatrical steps despite the simpler alternatives available. Tom’s use of verbal irony adds humor to the situation as readers recognize the absurdity of the plan.
- Exaggeration: Exaggeration involves magnifying or overemphasizing certain aspects of a situation, character, or event for comedic effect. It often involves amplifying something to the point of absurdity.
Example 1: In Jonathan Swift’s satirical essay “A Modest Proposal,” he suggests that poverty in Ireland can be solved by selling infants as food for the wealthy. Swift’s use of extreme exaggeration serves as a scathing critique of the British government’s indifference towards Irish suffering. By taking an absurd notion to its extreme, Swift highlights the absurdity of the political and social situation.
Example 2: Stand-up comedians often use exaggeration to enhance their comedic routines. For instance, comedian Kevin Hart often exaggerates everyday situations, such as going to the gym or dealing with his kids, to create hilarious and relatable scenarios that evoke laughter from the audience.
- Satire: Satire is a genre that uses humor, irony, and exaggeration to expose and criticize human vices, follies, or societal flaws. It often aims to provoke change or reflection through its humor.
Example 1: George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm is a satirical allegory that portrays a group of farm animals who overthrow their human farmer and establish a society based on equality. However, over time, the pigs, who represent the ruling class, manipulate and exploit the other animals, revealing the corruption and hypocrisy of power. Through satire, Orwell critiques the abuse of power and the failure of political ideologies.
Example 2: Satirical news programs like “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart and “Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver use humor and satire to critique political and social issues. They employ irony, exaggeration, and witty commentary to expose the absurdities and contradictions within politics and media.
These comedic elements are just a few examples of the techniques used in successful humor writing. When employed effectively, they engage readers, provoke laughter, and offer insightful commentary on various aspects of human behavior and society.