Showing papers on "Comedy published in 2011"

Satire, Punch Lines, and the Nightly News: Untangling Media Effects on Political Participation

Abstract: Research often collapses programming like The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, The Late Show, and The Tonight Show into one category of programming. However, recent research suggests that both the content and effects of viewing these programs differ. This study separates satire or parody and traditional late-night comedy to examine effects of viewing on political participation. Results suggest that viewing satire or parody has positive and significant effects on political participation through the mediator of political efficacy, as does viewing traditional TV news. However, this relationship is not borne out for viewers of traditional late-night comedy. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Telecinematic discourse : approaches to the language of films and television series

Abstract: 1. Contributors 2. Chapter 1. Introduction: Analysing telecinematic discourse (by Piazza, Roberta) 3. Part I. Cinematic discourse 4. Chapter 2. Discourse analysis of film dialogues: Italian comedy between linguistic realism and pragmatic non-realism (by Rossi, Fabio) 5. Chapter 3. Using film as linguistic specimen: Theoretical and practical issues (by Alvarez-Pereyre, Michael) 6. Chapter 4. Multimodal realisations of mind style in Enduring Love (by Montoro, Rocio) 7. Chapter 5. Pragmatic deviance in realist horror films: A look at films by Argento and Fincher (by Piazza, Roberta) 8. Chapter 6. Emotion and empathy in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas: A case study of the "funny guy" scene (by Bousfield, Derek) 9. Chapter 7. Quantifying the emotional tone of James Bond films: An application of the Dictionary of Affect in Language (by Kozinski, Rose Ann) 10. Chapter 8. Structure and function in the generic staging of film trailers: A multimodal analysis (by Maier, Carmen Daniela) 11. Part II. Televisual discourse 12. Chapter 9. "I don't know what they're saying half the time, but I'm hooked on the series": Incomprehensible dialogue and integrated multimodal characterisation in The Wire (by Toolan, Michael) 13. Chapter 10. The stability of the televisual character: A corpus stylistic case study (by Bednarek, Monika) 14. Chapter 11. Star Trek: Voyager's Seven of Nine: A case study of language and character in a televisual text (by Mandala, Susan) 15. Chapter 12. Relationship impression formation: How viewers know people on the screen are friends (by Bubel, Claudia) 16. Chapter 13. Genre, performance and Sex and the City (by Paltridge, Brian) 17. Chapter 14. Bumcivilian: Systemic aspects of humorous communication in comedies (by Brock, Alexander) 18. References 19. List of tables 20. List of figures 21. Index of films and TV series 22. Index

The Rhetoric of Racist Humour: US, UK and Global Race Joking

Abstract: Contents: Introduction: humour and critique The rhetoric of humour Humour and order-building Embodied racism and US internet joking Cultural racism and British stand-up comedy Reverse discourse in Black comic performance Reverse discourse in Asian comic performance Liquid racism and the ambiguities of Ali G Liquid racism and the Danish Prophet Muhammad cartoon Conclusion a " the future of race joking Bibliography Appendix Index.

Political Humor as Democratic Relief? The Effects of Exposure to Comedy and Straight News on Trust and Efficacy

Abstract: Given the increasing prominence and visibility of political comedy programming, communication researchers have made considerable attempts to understand the effects of exposure to this humorous content on common indicators of democratic citizenship like trust in government and political efficacy. Analyzing data from research conducted among undergraduates enrolled at two major public universities in the spring of 2009, the current study offers evidence of a positive relationship between exposure to network political comedy and political trust. Moreover, the results highlight significant relationships between exposure to cable comedy, cable news, online political humor, learning from variety programs, and personal evaluations of internal political efficacy. All told, the current study furthers our understanding of the effects of exposure to comedy and straight news programming on youth political engagement.

Shakespeare's Festive Comedy: A Study of Dramatic Form and Its Relation to Social Custom

Abstract: 'Shakespeare's Festive Comedy' is the best book on the subject that I know. The book is well and clearly written, and I should think would fascinate the general readers. I think it is indispensable for students of Shakespeare's comedy.'-----Francis Fergusson

The cultural currency of a ‘good’ sense of humour: British comedy and new forms of distinction

Abstract: Traditionally considered lowbrow art par excellence, British comedy has grown steadily in legitimacy since the ‘Alternative Comedy Movement’ of the early 1980s. Yet while there might be evidence of a transformation in British comic production, there is little understanding of how this has been reflected in patterns of consumption. Indeed, there is a remarkable absence of studies probing comedy taste in British cultural sociology, most notably in Bennett et al’s (2009) recent and otherwise exhaustive mapping of cultural taste and participation. This paper aims to plug this gap in the literature by examining contemporary comedy taste cultures in Britain. Drawing on a large-scale survey and in-depth interviews carried out at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, it argues that comedy now represents an emerging field for the culturally privileged to activate their cultural capital resources. However, unlike previous studies on cultural capital and taste, this research finds that field-specific ‘comic cultural capital’ is mobilised less through taste for certain legitimate ‘objects’ of comedy and more through the expression of rarefied and somewhat ‘disinterested’ styles of comic appreciation. In short, it is ‘embodied’ rather than ‘objectified’ forms of cultural capital that largely distinguish the privileged in the field of comedy.

Satire TV: Politics and Comedy in the Post-Network Era

Abstract: Satire TV: Politics and Comedy in the Post-Network Era. By Jonathan Gray,Jeffrey P. Jones, and Ethan Thompson, New York: NYU Press, 2009. pp. 288. There can be little doubt that satire has become a popular and profitable form of television content in contemporary popular culture. From animated programs such as South Park that comment on politics and world events, to daily faux-news programming such as The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, U.S. television markets have become increasingly inclusive of biting and meaningful social criticism delivered through satire and parody. Satire TV attempts to illustrate satire's transition from an underutilized rhetorical style hampered by industry-imposed constraints necessary to reach massive broadcast audiences to a thriving, powerful, and playful niche media genre. The twelve essays of this volume explore the development, impact, and discursive potential of satire television in relationship to politics and illustrate "these programs' role in nurturing civic culture, as well as their potential place as sources of political information acquisition, deliberation, evaluation and popular engagement with politics" (p. 6). Part I, "Post 9/11, Post Modem, or Just Post Network?," examines the state of political satire today in contrast to the earliest televised emanations of the genre. Gray, Jones, and Thompson engage in a robust theoretical discussion of the form and function of satire, the satirical functions of parody, and the fine line between meaningful critique of politics derived from humor and mere pastiche. Departing from early manifestations of televised political satire such as The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, and Saturday Night Live, the authors trace satire's development from a scarcely used tactic to generate humor and audience identification, to a media genre containing rich and poignant social criticism and that spans virtually every mass media channel. Gray, Jones, and Thompson chart the development of this genre from the 1960s to the present day, noting that "the shift from network broadcasting to cable narrowcasting is the fundamentally enabling mechanism" for the vast array of satirical critiques of politics present in contemporary television programming (p. 19). Whereas broadcast marketing strategies necessitated that content producers and distributors reach as many potential audience members as possible, narrowcasting strategies create smaller, yet loyal and likeminded, niche markets where political criticism can be sustained. The essays of Part I provide an understanding of the historical growth of the satire genre and concretize the state of the genre today by contrasting early attempts at televised political satire with political satire emergent within the last decade. The included essays convey a sense that while early attempts at televised political satire played more upon politicians' public personae and "rarely proved to be political in the sense of critiquing the politician's policies or responses to world events" (p. 43), current satire television is often more oriented toward critiquing the political actions of government officials and, subsequently, toward the sustenance of meaningful and critical public discourses. Part II, "Fake News, Real Funny," grapples with the functions and implications of faux-news style programming such as the nightly Comedy Central shows, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. The authors provide insight into the way that these programs may serve to help inform the public (in particular, young audiences) while providing meaningful opportunity for criticism and political commentary. Indeed, the authors suggest that hosts Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are not merely hosts of late night comedy talk shows, but political pundits whose programs provide them with significant presence in discourses of world affairs and policy making. Moreover, both programs' usage of styling and tropes typical of contemporary television news programs creates a playful doubling of not only politicians' policies and rhetoric, but also of the discursive norms of news reporting of politics and campaigns. …

On the Uses of Obscenity in Live Stand-Up Comedy

Abstract: This essay explores the use of swear words in stand-up comedy. Employing examples from the performances of two comedians who work the Midwest regional comedy club circuit, I analyze the non-referential pragmatic functions served by employing the register of dirty words. I critique flat-footed readings of the comedic use of obscenity, including that which informs recent Supreme Court censorship rulings, and argue instead for recognition of the communicative artistry displayed in such work.

A decade of dark humor : how comedy, irony, and satire shaped post-9/11 America

Abstract: A Decade of Dark Humor analyzes ways in which popular and visual culture used humor-in a variety of forms-to confront the attacks of September 11, 2001 and, more specifically, the aftermath. This interdisciplinary volume brings together scholars from four countries to discuss the impact of humor and irony on both media discourse and tangible political reality. Furthermore, it demonstrates that laughter is simultaneously an avenue through which social issues are deferred or obfuscated, a way in which neoliberal or neoconservative rhetoric is challenged, and a means of forming alternative political ideologies. The volume's contributors cover a broad range of media productions, including news parodies (The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, The Colbert Report, The Onion), TV roundtable shows (Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher), comic strips and cartoons (Aaron McGruder's The Boondocks, Jeff Danzinger's editorial cartoons), television drama (Rescue Me), animated satire (South Park), graphic novels (Art Spiegelman's In the Shadow of No Towers), documentary (Fahrenheit 9/11), and other productions. Along with examining the rhetorical methods and aesthetic techniques of these productions, the essays place each in specific political and journalistic contexts, showing how corporations, news outlets, and political institutions responded to-and sometimes co-opted-these forms of humor.

Psych's Comedic Tale of Black–White Friendship and the Lighthearted Affect of “Post-Race” America

Abstract: I analyze the popular television comedy Psych to examine the affective dimensions of one type of post-race comedy. Psych, an interracial buddy narrative, adapts the assimilationist situation comedy to rhetorically intensify post-race ideology by encouraging a lighthearted, breezy attitude toward race and racism. Psych reassures audiences of their distance from racism, and confirms the “secular orthodoxy” of interracial friendship, a depoliticizing ideology that views friendship as the antidote to structural and historical injustice. I analyze three distinct modes of racial humor in Psych: witticisms that mock “PC”; comedic framings of blackness; and representations of interracial bonding that conjure post-race fantasies of black–white sameness and interchangeability. I conclude by examining Psych's role in USA Network's character-centric branding identity that frames race and racism as superficialities that we must “see beyond” in our pursuit of a utopian post-race state. This message is problematic becau...

Roman Republican Theatre

Abstract: Theatre flourished in the Roman Republic, from the tragedies of Ennius and Pacuvius to the comedies of Plautus and Terence and the mimes of Laberius. Yet apart from the surviving plays of Plautus and Terence the sources are fragmentary and difficult to interpret and contextualise. This book provides a comprehensive history of all aspects of the topic, incorporating recent findings and modern approaches. It discusses the origins of Roman drama and the historical, social and institutional backgrounds of all the dramatic genres to be found during the Republic (tragedy, praetexta, comedy, togata, Atellana, mime and pantomime). Possible general characteristics are identified, and attention is paid to the nature of and developments in the various genres. The clear structure and full bibliography also ensure that the book has value as a source of reference for all upper-level students and scholars of Latin literature and ancient drama.

The Poet's Voice: Essays on Poetics and Greek Literature

Abstract: 'The project of this book', writes the author in his Preface, 'is to investigate how poetry and the figure of the poet are represented, discussed, contested within the poetry of ancient Greece'. Dr Goldhill seeks to discover how ancient authors broached the questions: From what position does a poet speak? With what authority? With what debts to the past? With what involvement in the present? Through a series of interrelated essays on Homer, lyric poetry, Aristophanes, Theocritus and Apollonius of Rhodes, key aspects in the history of poetics are discussed: tale-telling and the representation of man as the user of language; memorial and praise; parody, comedy and carnival; irony, masks and desire; the legacy of the past and the idea of influence. Detailed readings of major works of Greek literature show how richly rewarding and revealing this approach can be. The author makes liberal use of critical writings from areas of study other than Classics and focuses on problems central to contemporary critical debate. His book is uniquely placed to bring together modern and ancient poetics in a way that is enlightening for both. The work is written as much for the serious scholar of literary criticism as for the Classicist, and all Greek is translated.

Holocaust Impiety in Literature, Popular Music and Film

Abstract: Holocaust Impiety in Literature, Popular Music and Film is an account of provocative and controversial representations of the Holocaust. Many well-known artists have attracted criticism for approaching the Nazi genocide in ways that have been deemed ill-conceived or offensive. Examples include Sylvia Plath's notorious claim that 'Every woman adores a Fascist' in her poem 'Daddy' and songs such as 'Belsen Was a Gas' by the Sex Pistols. The Holocaust has even provided material for stand-up comedy and gory Hollywood blockbusters such as Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. In this book, Matthew Boswell argues that while such works are often shocking, the value of shock should not be lightly dismissed in the context of the Holocaust. Drawing on the philosopher Gillian Rose's criticisms of what she termed 'Holocaust piety' and its claim that the only possible response to the Holocaust is a respectful silence, this book considers how irreverent works of fiction play an important role in shaping our contemporary understanding of the Nazi genocide and also of ourselves, prompting us to reflect on what it means to be human in light of the tragic events that they reference.

“I’ll be there for you!” On participation-based sitcom humour

Abstract: The paramount objective of this article is to tease out the workings of participation-based humour in film discourse. The departure point is an extension of the dyadic model of communication in the context of fictional media discourse. Differentiation is thus made between hearer types at the inter-character level, which subscribes to a participation framework typical of everyday interactions. Secondly, the film viewer, the hearer at the second communicative level, is conceptualised as a distinct hearer type, namely the recipient. Most importantly, it is shown that sitcom humour, devised by the collective sender (the film crew) to be appreciated by the recipient, tends to be based on participation phenomena, which are frequently non-humorous from the perspective of (some or all) fictional participants. Therefore, a few humorous mechanisms specific to film discourse of sitcoms are elucidated. The paper is illustrated with examples from the famous TV comedy series entitled “Friends”.

Feminism at the movies : understanding gender in contemporary popular cinema

Abstract: Introduction: "Re-Vision"?: Feminist Film Criticism in the Twenty-first Century, Hilary Radner and Rebecca Stringer I Masculinity in Question 1 "The First Bond Who Bleeds, Literally and Metaphorically": Gendered Spectatorship for 'Pretty Boy' Action Movies, Janet Staiger 2 Queer Memories and Universal Emotions: A Single Man (2009), Michael DeAngelis 3 "Lad Flicks": Discursive Reconstructions of Masculinity in Popular Film, David Hansen-Miller and Rosalind Gill 4 Transamerica (2005): The Road to the Multiplex after New Queer Cinema, Gary Needham II New Feminine Subjects: A Space for Women? 5 Enchanted (2007) by Postfeminism, Yvonne Tasker 6 Neoliberal Femininity in Miss Congeniality (2000), Yael D Sherman 7 Girls' Sexualities in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants Universe: Feminist Challenges and Missed Opportunities, Sarah Projansky 8 Michael Clayton (2007): Women Lawyers Betrayed - Again, Taunya Lovell Banks 9 Crossing Race, Crossing Sex in Gurinder Chadha's Bend It Like Beckham (2002): Managing Anxiety in Multicultural Britain, Mridula Nath Chakraborty 10 Speaking the Name of the Father in the Neo-Romantic Comedy: 13 Going On 30 (2004), Hilary Radner III Consuming Culture(s) 11 No Country for Old Women: Gendering Cinema in Conglomerate Hollywood, Rob Schaap 12 Music and the Woman's Film: Sex and the City: The Movie (2008), Peter Stapleton 13 Independence at What Cost? Economics and Female Desire in Nicole Holofcener's Friends With Money (2006), Michele Schreiber 14 The Feminist Poetics of Sophia Coppola: Spectacle and Self-Consciousness in Marie Antoinette (2006), Christina Lane and Nicole Richter IV Relationships, Identity and Family 15 "Eggs in Many Baskets": Juno (2007), Baby Mama (2008) and the New Intimacies of Reproduction, Jane Maree Maher 16 Temporarily Kissing Jessica Stein (2001): Negotiating (and Negating) Lesbian Sexuality in Popular Film, Kelly Kessler 17 "Die, Bridezilla, Die!": Bride Wars (2009), Wedding Envy and Chick Flicks, Heather Brook 18 Extreme Parenting: Recuperating Fatherhood in Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds (2005), Hannah Hamad V Gender and Violence 19 Kinship and Racist Violence in Gina Prince-Bythewood's The Secret Life of Bees (2008), Ewa Ziarek 20 From Victim to Vigilante: Gender, Violence and Revenge in The Brave One (2007) and Hard Candy (2005), Rebecca Stringer 21 "When the Woman Looks": High Tension (2003) and the Horrors of Heteronormativity, Barry Keith Grant

Ethnic Otherness Versus Cultural Assimilation: U.S. Latino Comedians and the Politics of Identity

Abstract: Comedy is an interesting site to investigate the symbolic articulations of U.S. Latino identity in the context of a genre that is emblematic of television in the United States. Through discourse analysis of the television texts, this article examines the articulation of Latino ethnicity on the work of three prominent Latino comedians: George Lopez, Carlos Mencia, and Freddie Prinze, Jr. This article argues that Latino television comedians articulate an implicit tension between ethnic otherness and desire for assimilation for U.S. Latinos. The analysis is conceptually grounded on an understanding of the social role of comedy and the relationship between media and Latino identity.

Conjugations: Marriage and Form in New Bollywood Cinema

Abstract: Bollywood movies have been long known for their colorful song-and-dance numbers and knack for combining drama, comedy, action-adventure, and music. But when India entered the global marketplace in the early 1990s, its film industry transformed radically. Production and distribution of films became regulated, advertising and marketing created a largely middle-class audience, and films began to fit into genres like science fiction and horror. In this bold study of what she names "New Bollywood", Sangita Gopal contends that the key to understanding these changes is to analyze films' evolving treatment of romantic relationships. Gopal argues that the form of the conjugal duo in movies reflects other social forces in India's new consumerist and global society. She takes a daring look at recent Hindi films and movie trends - the decline of song-and-dance sequences, the upgraded status of the horror genre, and the rise of the multiplex and multi-plot - to demonstrate how these relationships exemplify different formulas of contemporary living. A provocative account of how cultural artifacts can embody globalization's effects on intimate life, "Conjugations" will shake up the study of Hindi film.

Environmental Comedy: No Impact Man and the Performance of Green Identity

Abstract: “No Impact Man” (NIM) Colin Beavan attracted international media attention and a good deal of criticism for his year-long experiment attempting to live making zero net impact on the environment. Whereas Beavan's critics dismissed the project as a mere publicity stunt, this essay reads the NIM blog, book, and documentary film as a compelling performance of green identity in the comic frame. This performance—which links private consumption to ecology and community, and emphasizes flaws, foibles, humor and humility—offers an appealing invitation to engage in both individual and collective action. I argue that comedy is a useful rhetorical tool for addressing global warming, as it enables us to see ourselves not as helpless victims in a tragic doomsday scenario, but as imperfect actors who are both guilty contributors to the problem and agents responsible for its amelioration.

From toothpick legs to dropping vaginas: Gender and sexuality in Joan Rivers' stand-up comedy performance

Abstract: This article employs sociocultural analysis to examine Joan Rivers' stand-up comedy performances in order to reveal how she successfully operates in a sphere of artistic expression that has been, and continues to be, male-dominated. The analysis uncovers how Rivers' stand-up comedy performance involves a complex combination of elements and how it fuses features that are regarded as ‘traditionally masculine’, such as aggression, with features frequently used by other female stand-up comedians, such as self-deprecating comedy and confessional comedy. Furthermore, the analysis exposes the complex ways in which constructions of gender and sexuality are negotiated and re-negotiated in Rivers’ stand-up comedy performance, and illustrates how dominant ideological identity constructions can be simultaneously reinforced and subverted within the same comic moment.

Imagining the audience in early modern drama, 1558-1642

Abstract: Introduction: Audience and Audiences - Nova Myhill and Jennifer A. Low * Crowd Control - Paul Menzer * Taking the Stage: Spectators as Spectacle in the Caroline Private Theaters - Nova Myhill * The Curious Case of the Two Audiences: Thomas Dekker's Match Me in London - Mark Bayer * Door Number Three: Time, Space, and Audience Experience in The Menaechmi and The Comedy of Errors - Jennifer A. Low * Audience as Witness in Edward II - Meg F. Pearson * 'Lord of thy presence': Bodies, Performance, and Audience Interpretation in Shakespeare's King John - Erika T. Lin * Charismatic Audience: A 1559 Pageant - David M. Bergeron * Audience, Actors, and 'Taking Part' in the Revels - Emma K. Rhatigan * Bleared Vision in The Taming of the Shrew - James Wells * Fitzgrave's Jewel: Audience and Anticlimax in Middleton and Shakespeare - Jeremy Lopez

Positive Mood Risk Attitudes, and Investment Decisions: Field Evidence From Comedy Movie Attendance in the US.

Abstract: Positive mood has been repeatedly shown to affect risk attitudes in laboratory settings, where subjects’ exposure to movie clips is among the most widely used and effective mood-induction procedures. Yet, conflicting lab results about the estimated sign of the mood effect have led researchers to formulate two alternative theories. The affect infusion model (AIM) argues that happy moods foster risk-prone behavior, whereas the mood-maintenance hypothesis (MMH) takes the opposite stance. In this paper I test the predictions of these two theories using real-world financial data and focusing on the same mood-shifting mechanism commonly employed in lab studies. More specifically, I exploit the time-series variation in the domestic theatrical release of comedy movies as a natural experiment for testing the impact that happy mood (proxied by weekend comedy movie attendance) has on investment in risky assets (proxied by the performance of the U.S. stock market on the following Monday). My hypothesis rests upon the evidence that individual investors are more likely to ponder trading decisions during the weekend and trade on Mondays. To control for unobserved factors that may contemporaneously affect movie attendance and equity returns, I employ the percentage of theater screens dedicated to the comedy genre as an instrument. Using a sample of data from 1995 to 2010, I estimate that an increase in comedy attendance on a given weekend is followed by a decrease in equity returns on the subsequent Monday, which supports the MMH.

Postnationalist African Cinemas

Abstract: List of images Acknowledgements Introduction: African cinema, nationalism and its discontents i African cinema and national(ist) constructions ii Wealth and poverty of nationalist scholarship iii Postnational(ist) imaginary and new paradigms 1. Comedy and film i Comedic archetypes ii Verbal and visual comedy 2. Choreographing subjects i Dance on stage ii Dance, syntax, and discourse 3. Crimes, society and the "commandement" i Africa and theories of (impossible) crime fiction ii Absent investigation and the triumph of the commandement iii Flawed investigations and the decline of the commandement 4. Myth, tragedy, and cinema i On African cultural "specificity" and tragic forms ii Oedipal conflicts, enemy brothers, and families in crisis iii Absolutism, oracles and the tragic 5. Epic constructions i Narrative performance ii Epic magnification 6. (Un)masked sexuality i African sexuality as category of analysis ii Sex in the nation and the trouble with representation iii Framing bodies and the temptation of pornography 7. Witchcraft and the postcolonial i From sorcery imaginary to the imaginary sorcerer ii Occult side of power, power of the occult Conclusion: What is African cinema (today)? Bibliography Filmography

The cultural politics of justice: Bakhtin, stand-up comedy and post-9/11 securitization

Abstract: For Rabelais,‘folk humour’ and its boundless forms are not frivolous, inconsequential aspects of the human condition but, rather, are central to modes of critique and the formation of discourses which seek radical cultural transformation by evading, exposing, resisting, scandalizing and mocking ‘official culture’. Taking its cue from Bakhtin’s exposition of the grotesque realism of the Rabelaisian novel, this article explores the abstract notion of ‘justice’ through the lens of ‘folk humour’—specifically, stand-up comedy which references securitization in the post-9/11 period. In so doing, it calls into question Habermasian discourse ethics, proposing instead a model of ‘doing justice’ predicated on Bakhtinian dialogism.

The Hollywood Romantic Comedy: Conventions, History, Controversies

Abstract: List of Plates. Acknowledgements. 1 Introduction. 2 History, Cycles, and Society. 3 Thinking Seriously About Laughter and Romance. 4 Trouble in Paradise (1932): What is the Trouble in Paradise? 5 His Girl Friday (1940): Jailbreak! 6 The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944): The Home Front Romantic Comedy. 7 Adam's Rib (1949): Anatomy Lesson. 8 Some Like It Hot (1959): Riding Sidesaddle. 9 The Graduate (1967): Counter-Conventions and Cultural Change. 10 Annie Hall (1977): The Trials of Partnership. 11 When Harry Met Sally (1989): Friendship, Sex, and Courtship. 12 There's Something About Mary (1998): Parody and the Grotesque. 13 Waitress (2007): Women's Ambivalence. A Chronology of Prominent Hollywood Romantic Comedies. References. Index.

"Have Women a Sense of Humor?": Comedy and Femininity in Early Twentieth-Century Film

Abstract: n 1901 Harper’s Bazaar asked the question, “Have Women a Sense of Humor?” (Coquelin 67). More than one hundred years later, Vanity Fair published an article explaining “Why Women Aren’t Funny” (Hitchens 54). These articles are part of a larger debate about women’s capacity to engage in and appreciate humor that has existed for many years and represent traces of a long-standing prejudice in American culture against women performing comedy, a prejudice that has affected women’s comic expression in every form and forum. Public debates about whether women have a sense of humor and the nature of women’s humor date to at least the nineteenth century and clearly continue to this day. Countless writers and critics have argued that femininity and a sense of humor are mutually exclusive and that women’s “natural” inclination toward emotion and sensitivity has left them incapable of possessing a quality—humor—that many feel is dependent on “masculine” traits such as intellect and aggressiveness. Women, the argument goes, are far too refined and delicate to be funny. The True Woman, the feminine ideal for much of the late nineteenth century, was known for her morality, passivity, and spirituality, not for her ability to tell a joke. But just as women in the first decades of the twentieth century challenged assumptions about femininity established with the True Woman, female comedians during this time challenged the notion that women were inherently unfunny. Comediennes in early twentieth-century entertainments such as vaudeville and silent film were performing at a time when debates about women and comedy were at their most heated and when the very concepts of “woman” and “femininity” were undergoing massive transformation. Because of the pervasive belief that comedy was inappropriate for women, female comics were much more liable than other performers to be seen I “Have Women a Sense of Humor?”

Laughing all the way to freedom?: Contemporary stand-up comedy and democracy in South Africa

Abstract: Abstract Stand-up comedy raises questions about the quality of and limits to democracy in post-apartheid South Africa. It does so by telling a before democracy and after apartheid story in the mushrooming of comedians and comedy venues and in the generational differences between comedians and their approaches to comedy since 1994. This before-and-after story marks out boundaries between the old puritanical strictures and censorship of the National Party's apartheid and the new possibilities for freedom and enjoyment in a democracy riddled with profound social and political problems of extreme violence and poverty — and run by the ANC, a ruling party with a strong sense of entitlement to State power.

"'Most People Bring Their Own Spoons': THE ROOM's participatory audiences as comedy mediators"

Abstract: THE ROOM (Tommy Wiseau, 2003) has developed the unenviable reputation as being one of the worst films ever made, yet at the same time is celebrated by ‘fans’ who take considerable pleasure from its perceived ineptitude Considerable media attention has also been afforded to the film’s participatory theatrical screenings, which typically feature constant heckling, chants, and the throwing of plastic spoons Through the analysis of the film’s British audiences (in the form of surveys, interviews, observation and autoethnography), this article argues that The Room demonstrates the impact of audience participation on a film’s reception, which in this case transforms an ostensible drama into a comedy experience These audiences function as temporary communities that encourage the search for humour in ‘badness’, creating a cycle of comedy mediation and verification that affirms the interpretive competence of all attendees The article begins to theorise the previously underdeveloped concept of ‘so bad it’s good’ by drawing a link between comedy and cult media audiences, as well as exploring the social functions of comedy as they relate to cultural texts

Satire as Journalism: The Daily Show and American Politics at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century

Abstract: Satire as Journalism: The Daily Show and American Politics at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century Joe Hale Cutbirth Notions of community and civic participation, and the role journalism plays in establishing, reinforcing or disrupting them, have been part of American life since the early days of the republic. Equally American, and closely connected with them, are the ideas that our public institutions and elected officials are appropriate targets for both journalistic scrutiny and comedic satire. Press and speech protections that James Madison and Thomas Jefferson wrote into the Constitution have served journalists and satirists – and those who work both camps, such as Ben Franklin, Mark Twain and H.L Mencken during critical times in our history. Indeed, the blurring of lines between news and entertainment, public policy and popular culture, is not a new phenomenon. Yet, re cent concerns that journalism is being subsumed within the larger field of mass communication and competing with an increasingly diverse group of narratives that includes political satire are well-founded. Changes in media technology and acute economic uncertainty have hit traditional news outlets at a time when Americans clearly want a voice they can trust to challenge institutions they believe are failing them. And during the first decade of the twenty-first century, none has filled that role as uniquely as Jon Stewart, host of The Daily Show on the Comedy Central Network. When Time recently asked readers to identify “the most trusted newsperson in America,” Stewart was the runaway winner. That matched an earlier survey by the Pew Center in which Stewart tied Brian Williams, Tom Browkaw, Dan Rather and Anderson Cooper as the journalist respondents most admire. Scholarly work on Stewart typically builds on surveys that show young adults get political information from his show (Pew, ANES). It also challenges his frequent claim that he is nothing more than a stand-up comedian peddling satire, and it argues that his shtick, which he calls “fake news,” is actually a quasi-journalistic product. This study moves beyond those issues by reviving questions about the role news media play in creating community. It applies research though the method of the interpretive turn pioneered by James Carey, and challenges the notion that Stewart’s viewers are no more than fans who tune in to him as isolated individuals seeking entertainment. It argues that they seek him out because the para-political talk he offers helps them connect with a larger community of like-minded fellows. It draws on Mills’ distinctions between mass media and public media, and it uses Freud’s interpretation of jokes as a vehicle to address ruptured relationships and wish-fulfillment to examine the demand for a public conversation lacking in the news offered by aloof network anchors who became the faces of broadcast journalism during the latter part of the twentieth century. Finally, it considers the broader implications this nexus between media satire and news reporting – and the communities that are building around it has for journalism and its traditional role in our participatory democracy. Research for this study, especially ideas and perceptions about how mainstream media work, is grounded in my own professional experience of fifteen years as a daily newspaper reporter, political writer and press secretary in three major political campaigns. Ideas and observations about stand-up comedy come from a year-long ethnography of The Comedy Cellar, a stand-up club in Greenwich Village known for political humor, from numerous visits to tapings of The Daily Show, The Colbert Report and Tough Crowd, and from interviews with a number of stand-up comedians (apart from the ethnographic work) and writers for those shows. Ideas about the interplay between traditional journalism and so-called “fake news,” the narrative offered by Stewart and others, come from interviews with roughly a half-dozen nationally recognized journalists who reported on the 2004 presidential campaign. A significant amount of archival research in the popular press – specifically newspapers and news magazines – was necessary because it is a large repository for background into Stewart’s professional life and training, and that is essential context for a specific dialogue about the changing landscape of American journalism. Finally, impressions and findings about Stewart’s audience and the Americans who are increasingly turning to satire as a vehicle for information to locate themselves in our participatory democracy came largely from observations and interviews conducted in Washington D.C. for four days before, during and after the Rally to Restore Sanity. Early scholarship on the increasingly complex relationship between satire and traditional journalism has focused on the satirists and attempted to define their narratives as something more than comedy – some type of popular journalistic hybrid or emerging narrative that is a new form of journalism. This study acknowledges that debate but moves beyond it. In fact, it is grounded in the idea that although the television shows are new, there is nothing new about satirists using the media of their day to challenge powerful institutions, including public office holders. Instead, it approaches the rise of these satirists by asking what is happening in America that is causing citizens to turn away from traditional sources of news and information in favor of the narratives they offer. It examines the likelihood that the popular demand for Stewart’s narrative signals a larger shift in the way Americans think about news and where they go to get it – away from institutional journalism and its longstanding ethos of objectivity and the authoritative voice and toward more independent voices that essentially return to iconic ideas of the press as a tool for building community and enabling conversations between publics rather than acting as the mass medium it did in the latter part of the twentieth century.

The Places of Wit in Early Modern English Comedy

Abstract: Preface Introduction 1 Shakespeare's green materials: Windsor Forest and The Merry Wives of Windsor 2 Ben Jonson's gallant London 3 Covent Garden: town culture and the location of wit 4 Another green world: or, how to use Hyde Park Epilogue: the game of culture Works cited