"Tragedy is when I cut my finger," Mel Brooks once reputedly said. "Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die." Besides the fact that it's funny, there's a great deal of truth in this quote. Not only because of the insight into human nature – we tend to take our own small misfortunes as a sign that the gods are aligned against us, and love to find humor in the plights of others – but also because of what it reveals about the ways comedy works through opposition. Juxtaposition, change of direction, making small things large and large things small, forcing us to giggle at something that would otherwise make us uneasy; these are some of the most fundamental elements of the way we make each other laugh.
On the Construction of Joy: "The Princess Bride"
On the Construction of Joy: "The Princess…
On the Construction of Joy: "The Princess Bride"
"Tragedy is when I cut my finger," Mel Brooks once reputedly said. "Comedy is when you fall into an open sewer and die." Besides the fact that it's funny, there's a great deal of truth in this quote. Not only because of the insight into human nature – we tend to take our own small misfortunes as a sign that the gods are aligned against us, and love to find humor in the plights of others – but also because of what it reveals about the ways comedy works through opposition. Juxtaposition, change of direction, making small things large and large things small, forcing us to giggle at something that would otherwise make us uneasy; these are some of the most fundamental elements of the way we make each other laugh.