Comedy 6735 225654777 2008-07-14T19:25:02Z Ecth 3723913 /* By nationality */ removed a link to a nonexistant page {{Prose|date=April 2008}} {{literature}} {{Performing arts}} '''Comedy''' has a popular meaning (any discourse generally intended to amuse, especially in [[television]], [[film]], and [[stand-up comedy]]). This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic [[theatre]], whose [[Western culture|Western]] origins are found in [[Ancient Greece]]. In the [[Athenian democracy]], the [[public opinion]] of voters was remarkably influenced by the [[political satire]] performed by the [[comic poets]] at the [[Ancient Greek theatre|theaters]].<ref>Henderson, J. (1993) ''Comic Hero versus Political Elite'' pp.307-19 in {{cite book |editor=Sommerstein, A.H.; S. Halliwell, J. Henderson, B. Zimmerman |title=Tragedy, Comedy and the Polis |year=1993 |publisher=Levante Editori |location=Bari}}</ref> The theatrical genre can be simply described as a dramatic performance which pits two societies against each other in an amusing [[agon]] or conflict. [[Northrop Frye]] famously depicted these two opposing sides as a "Society of Youth" and a "Society of the Old" (The Anatomy of Criticism, 1957), but this [[dichotomy]] is seldom described as an entirely satisfactory explanation. A later view characterizes the essential agon of comedy as a struggle between a relatively powerless youth and the societal conventions that pose obstacles to his hopes; in this sense, the youth is understood to be constrained by his lack of social authority, and is left with little choice but to take recourse to ruses which engender very dramatic [[irony]] which provokes [[laughter]] (Marteinson, 2006). Much comedy contains variations on the elements of surprise, incongruity, conflict, repetitiveness, and the effect of [[irony|opposite expectations]], but there are many recognized [[genre]]s of comedy. [[Satire]] and [[political satire]] use ironic comedy to portray persons or social institutions as ridiculous or corrupt, thus alienating their audience from the object of humor. [[Parody]] borrows the form of some popular [[genre]], [[Work of art|artwork]], or [[text]] but uses certain [[ironic]] changes to critique that form from within (though not necessarily in a condemning way). [[Screwball comedy]] derives its humor largely from bizarre, surprising (and improbable) situations or characters. [[Black comedy]] is defined by dark humor that makes light of so called dark or [[evil]] elements in human nature. Similarly [[Toilet humor|scatological humor]], sexual humor, and [[race humor]] create comedy by violating [[Convention (norm)|social conventions]] or [[taboo]]s in comedic ways. A [[comedy of manners]] typically takes as its subject a particular part of society (usually upper class society) and uses humor to parody or satirize the behavior and mannerisms of its members. [[Romantic comedy]] is a popular genre that depicts burgeoning romance in humorous terms, and focuses on the foibles of those who are falling in love. ==Etymology== The word "comedy" is derived from the [[Classical Greek]] ''κωμῳδία'', which is a compound either of ''[[komos|κῶμος]]'' (revel) or ''κώμη'' (village) and ''ᾠδή'' (singing): it is possible that ''κῶμος'' itself is derived from ''κώμη'', and originally meant a village revel. The adjective "comic" (Greek κωμικός), which strictly means that which relates to comedy is, in modern usage, generally confined to the sense of "laughter-provoking".<ref name = "dugbwi">Francis MacDonald Cornford, The Origin of Attic Comedy, 1934.</ref> Of this, the word came into modern usage through the Latin ''comoedia ''and Italian ''commedia'' and has, over time, passed through various shades of meaning.<ref name = OED>Oxford English Dictionary</ref> Greeks and Romans confined the word "comedy" to descriptions of stage-plays with happy endings. In the [[Middle Ages|middle ages]], the term expanded to include narrative poems with happy endings and a lighter tone. In this sense [[Dante]] used the term in the title of his poem, ''La Divina Commedia''. As time progressed, the word came more and more to be associated with any sort of performance intended to cause laughter.<ref name = OED/> ==History== In ancient [[Greece]], comedy seems to have originated in bawdy and [[ribald]] songs or recitations apropos of fertility festivals or gatherings, or also in making fun at other people or stereotypes.<ref name = "dugbwi"/> [[Aristotle]], in his Poetics, states that comedy originated in Phallic songs and the light treatment of the otherwise base and ugly. He also adds that the origins of comedy are obscure because it was not treated seriously from its inception.<ref>Aristotle, Poetics, lines beginning at 1449a. [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Aristot.+Poet.+1449a]</ref> The phenomena connected with laughter and that which provokes it have been carefully investigated by psychologists. They agreed the predominating [[characteristics]] are incongruity or contrast in the object, and shock or emotional seizure on the part of the subject. It has also been held that the feeling of superiority is an essential, if not the essential, factor: thus [[Thomas Hobbes]] speaks of laughter as a "sudden glory." Modern investigators have paid much attention to the origin both of laughter and of smiling, as well as the development of the "play instinct" and its emotional expression. ==Forms of comedy== {{main|Comedy genres}} * [[Fantasy]] * [[Observational humor|Observational]] * [[Irony]] * [[Satire]] ** [[Parody]] ** [[Political satire]] ** [[Black comedy]] * [[Slapstick]] * [[Tragicomedy]] ==Performing arts== ===History=== * [[Ancient Greek comedy]], as practiced by [[Aristophanes]] and [[Menander]] * [[Ancient Roman comedy]], as practiced by [[Plautus]] and [[Terence]] * [[Burlesque]], from [[Music hall]] and [[Vaudeville]] to [[Performance art]] * [[City comedy|Citizen comedy]], as practiced by [[Thomas Dekker (poet)|Thomas Dekker]], [[Thomas Middleton]] and [[Ben Jonson]] * [[Clown]]s such as [[Richard Tarlton]], [[William Kempe]], Yukko the Clown and [[Robert Armin]] * [[Comedy of humours]], as practiced by [[Ben Jonson]] and [[George Chapman]] * Comedy of intrigue, as practiced by [[Niccolò Machiavelli]] and [[Lope de Vega]] * [[Comedy of manners]], as practiced by [[Molière]], [[William Wycherley]] and [[William Congreve]] * [[Comedy of menace]], as practiced by [[David Campton]] and [[Harold Pinter]] * ''[[comédie larmoyante]]'' or 'tearful comedy', as practiced by [[Pierre-Claude Nivelle de La Chaussée]] and [[Louis-Sébastien Mercier]] * ''[[Commedia dell'arte]]'', as practiced in the twentieth-century by [[Dario Fo]], [[Vsevolod Meyerhold]] and [[Jacques Copeau]] * [[Farce]], from [[Georges Feydeau]] to [[Joe Orton]] and [[Alan Ayckbourn]] * [[Jester]] * Laughing comedy, as practiced by [[Oliver Goldsmith]] and [[Richard Brinsley Sheridan]] * [[Restoration comedy]], as practiced by [[George Etherege]], [[Aphra Behn]] and [[John Vanbrugh]] * Sentimental comedy, as practiced by [[Colley Cibber]] and [[Richard Steele]] * [[Shakespearean comedy]], as practiced by [[William Shakespeare]] * [[Dada]]ist and [[Surrealism|Surrealist]] performance, usually in [[cabaret]] form *[[Theatre of the Absurd]], used by some critics to describe [[Samuel Beckett]], [[Harold Pinter]], [[Jean Genet]] and [[Eugène Ionesco]]<ref>This list was compiled with reference to ''The Cambridge Guide to Theatre'' (1998).</ref> * [[Sketch comedy]] ===Plays (theater)=== {{main|Comedy (theater)}} ====Musical comedy plays==== * [[Musical theater#Development of musical comedy|Musical comedy]] and palace ===Opera=== * [[Comic opera]] ===Improvisational comedy=== * [[Improvisational comedy]] ====Clowns==== * [[Bouffon]] comedy * [[Clowns]] ====Stand-up comedy==== * [[Comedian]] * [[List of musical comedians|Musical comedy]] * Comedy albums * [[Comedy club]] * [[Stand-up comedy]] **[[Impressionist (entertainment)]] **[[Alternative comedy]] =====Stand-up comedy events and awards===== * [[British Comedy Awards]] * [[Canadian Comedy Awards]] * [[Cat Laughs|Cat Laughs Comedy Festival]] * [[The Comedy Festival]], in Aspen, formerly the HBO Comedy Arts Festival * [http://www.comedywalk.com/ Comedy Walk], monthly comedy festival in Los Angeles * [[Edinburgh Fringe Festival]] * [[Edinburgh Comedy Festival]] * Halifax Comedy Festival * [[Just for laughs]] festival * [[Melbourne International Comedy Festival]] * [[New Zealand International Comedy Festival]] * [[New York Underground Comedy Festival]] * [[HK International Comedy Festival]] * Vancouver Comedy Festival =====Lists of stand-up comedy performers===== * [[List of comedians]] ======By nationality====== * [[List of Australian comedians]] * [[List of British comedians]] * [[List of Canadian comedians]] * [[List of Finnish comedians]] * [[List of German language comedians]] * [[List of Italian comedians]] * [[List of Mexican comedians]] * [[List of Puerto Rican comedians]] * [[List of Indian comedians]] ===Jokes=== *[[One-liner joke]] *[[Blonde jokes]] *[[Shaggy dog story|Shaggy-dog story]] *[[An Englishman, an Irishman and a Scotsman|Paddy Irishman joke]] ==Literature== * [[Comic novel]] ==Film== * [[Comedy film]] **[[Anarchic comedy film]] **[[Gross-out film]] **[[Parody film]] **[[Romantic comedy film]] **[[Screwball comedy film]] **[[Slapstick film]] ==Television and radio== * [[Television comedy]] ** [[Situation comedy]] * [[Dramedy]] * [[Radio comedy]] === The First Couple of Comedy=== This is a common nickname for comedienne [[Lucille Ball]] and her one-time husband [[Desi Arnaz]]. This nickname is based on the eight year success of their show ''[[I Love Lucy]]''. Their co-stars [[Vivian Vance]] and [[William Frawley]] are known as the most famous second bananas in comedy and television. <ref>''DESILU: The story of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz'', 1998</ref> ===Lists of comedy television programs=== * [[British sitcom]] * [[British comedy]] * [[Comedy Central]] - A television channel devoted strictly to comedy. * [[German television comedy]] * [[List of British TV shows remade for the American market]] * [[Paramount Comedy (Spain)]]. * [[Paramount Comedy]] [[Paramount Comedy 1|1]] and [[Paramount Comedy 2|2]]. * [[TBS (TV network)]] * [[The Comedy Channel]] (Australia) * [[The Comedy Channel (UK)]] * [[The Comedy Channel (USA)]] not to be confused with [[HA!]] - channels that have merged into [[Comedy Central]]. * [[The Comedy Network]], a Canadian TV channel. ==Lists== * [[List of comedies]] * [[List of New York Improv comedians]] == See also == * [[Original Comedy]] * [[Humour]] * [[Joke]] * [[Laughter]] * [[Rule of three (writing)]] * [[History of theater]] ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==References== *Aristotle, Poetics. *Buckham, Philip Wentworth, ''Theatre of the Greeks'', 1827. *Marteinson, Peter (2006). [http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/french/as-sa/editors/origins.html On the Problem of the Comic]: A Philosophical Study on the Origins of Laughter, Legas Press, Ottawa, 2006. *Pickard-Cambridge, Sir Arthur Wallace **''Dithyramb, Tragedy, and Comedy '', 1927. **''The Theatre of Dionysus in Athens'', 1946. **''The Dramatic Festivals of Athens'', 1953. *Raskin, Victor, The Semantic Mechanisms of Humor, 1985. *Riu, Xavier, ''Dionysism and Comedy'', 1999. [http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/bmcr/2000/2000-06-13.html] *Sourvinou-Inwood, Christiane, ''Tragedy and Athenian Religion'', Oxford University Press, 2003. *Wiles, David, ''The Masked Menander: Sign and Meaning in Greek and Roman Performance'', 1991. ==External links== <!-- ==============================({{NoMoreLinks}})============================== --> <!-- DO NOT ADD MORE LINKS TO THIS ARTICLE UNLESS THEY CONFORM TO [[WP:EL]]. WIKIPEDIA IS NOT A COLLECTION OF LINKS --> <!-- ============================================================================= --> * {{dmoz|Arts/Performing_Arts/Comedy/}} * [http://www.howtobefunny.net/learn-how-to-be-funny-witty-interesting-main.htm Comedy Creation Guide] Comedy creation guide by famous comedian Stanley Lyndon. * [http://www.dbu.edu/mitchell/comedydi.htm A Vocabulary for Comedy] [[Category:Comedy| ]] [[Category:Humor]] [[Category:Performing arts]] [[Category:Theatre]] [[Category:Film]] [[Category:Literature]] [[Category:Humanities]] <!-- interwiki --> [[af:Komedie]] [[ar:كوميديا]] [[az:Komediya]] [[bs:Komedija]] [[bg:Комедия]] [[ca:Comèdia]] [[cs:Komedie]] [[da:Komedie]] [[de:Komödie]] [[et:Komöödia]] [[es:Comedia]] [[eo:Komedio]] [[eu:Komedia]] [[fa:کمدی]] [[fr:Comédie]] [[gl:Comedia]] [[hr:Komedija]] [[id:Melawak]] [[os:Комеди]] [[it:Commedia]] [[he:קומדיה]] [[ka:კომედია]] [[la:Comoedia]] [[lv:Komēdija]] [[lt:Komedija]] [[hu:Komédia]] [[ms:Komedi]] [[nl:Komedie]] [[ja:喜劇]] [[no:Komedie]] [[nn:Komedie]] [[pl:Komedia]] [[pt:Comédia]] [[ro:Comedie]] [[ru:Комедия]] [[simple:Comedy]] [[sk:Komédia]] [[sl:Komedija]] [[sr:Комедија]] [[sh:Komedija]] [[fi:Komedia]] [[sv:Komedi]] [[tl:Komedya]] [[th:ตลก]] [[tg:Кинокамедия]] [[tr:Komedi]] [[uk:Комедія]] [[wa:Comedeye]] [[yi:קאמעדיע]] [[zh:喜劇]]