Home - Grade 9 English - Comedy and Humor - AIS-R LibGuides at Regional Association of Independent International Schools

From the World Book Online

Humor. No one knows exactly why we laugh or why anything that is funny should cause us to make such a peculiar noise. It would be just as logical to stick our thumbs in our ears and wiggle our fingers as it is to giggle or bellow or howl with laughter. But when something strikes our "funny bone," our diaphragm flutters up and down, and we laugh.

The urge to laugh appears very early. Babies smile, then coo, and finally chuckle when pleased. If certain parts of the baby's body are tickled with the fingers, laughter occurs. But by the time children attend school, they also laugh at things they hear and see.

Stories are among the most popular forms of humor. As a rule, a story is considered inferior if it embarrasses someone, if it makes something sacred appear common, if it makes a person's weakness the cause for laughter, if it has to have vulgarity to be funny, or if everyone cannot join in the enjoyment of the joke.

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Source: Cohen, Sarah Blacher. "Humor." World Book Student, World Book, 2017, www.worldbookonline.com/student/article?id=ar266980. Accessed 11 Sept. 2017.

Databases

Click for database USERNAMES and PASSWORDS

Ebscohost Research Databases This link opens in a new window Ebscohost provides access to a variety of academic databases which each hold thousands of full-text, peer-reviewed journal articles. An excellent source of reliable information for student research projects.
Literary Reference Center This link opens in a new window Combining information from major respected reference works, books, literary journals, and original content from EBSCO, Literary Reference Center features an expansive collection of author biographies, plot summaries and work overviews, full-text essays from leading publishers, literary reference books and monographs, cover-to-cover full text for literary magazines and journals, book reviews from the most prestigious publications, poems from hundreds of sources, short stories, classic texts, author interviews, and much more.
Student Resources in Context This link opens in a new window Student Resources In Context offers cross-curricular content aligned to national, state, and Common Core State Standards, and presents that material in the way most useful for students. This unique database provides stellar support for papers, projects, and presentations while reinforcing the development of critical thinking and problem solving skills, communication, collaboration, creativity, and innovation.

Funny?

The meme that started it all. © Grumpy Cat Limited, used under fair use

Comedy Resources

Humor Literary Devices
Definitions of literary devices associated with humor
Definition of Comedy
A definition of comedy as well as links to associated terms.
29 Simple Comedic Devices that Make Advertising Irresistible
A good list of definitions and devices used in comedic writing.

Philosophy of Humor
"Although most people value humor, philosophers have said little about it, and what they have said is largely critical. Three traditional theories of laughter and humor are examined, along with the theory that humor evolved from mock-aggressive play in apes. Understanding humor as play helps counter the traditional objections to it and reveals some of its benefits, including those it shares with philosophy itself."

Say Something Funny
A personal narrative is presented which discusses the author's experience of writing books which includes humor and how she teaches humor writing workshops and her novel "The Kidney Hypothetical, or How to Ruin Your Life in Seven Days."

Benign Violation Theory
Read about what the Humor Research Lab uses as its theoretical foundation for what makes something funny.
Humor from The New Yorker
Humor from The Onion

Schaffer and Socratic Resources

Tips for a successful socratic seminar
Tips for how to prepare and how to participate.
Schaffer Example
Below are two Schaffer-model paragraphs students wrote together as a class. The legend at right is for the abbreviations at the beginnings of sentences.

In the library

The Ten Commandments of Comedy by Gene Perret
Call Number: 808.7 PER
ISBN: 9781610351256
Publication Date: 2013-01-22
Presents a guide on to use humor in writing or public speaking.
Funny Business by Leonard S. Marcus (Editor)
Call Number: 823 FUN
ISBN: 9780763632540
Publication Date: 2009-10-13
Thirteen notable children's authors discusses various aspects of humor and their work, such as sources of inspiration, the value of comedy, and the writing process.
Born Standing Up by Steve Martin
Call Number: B MAR
ISBN: 1416553657
Publication Date: 2008-09-02
Steve Martin reflects on his early career as a stand-up comic, how he walked away from it to become a writer for "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," his mentors and complex relationship with his parents and sister, and the work and dedication it took to become one of the world's greatest comedians.

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