Humor Theories

by Don L. F. Nilsen
and Alleen Pace Nilsen
41

Victor Raskins Tripartite Classification

INCONGRUITY HOSTILITY

RELEASE

Contrast
Incongruity
Resolution

Sublimation
Liberation
Economy

Aggression
Superiority
Triumph
Derision
Disparagement

41

(Attardo [2007], 103)

Script-Model Grammar
Raskins 1985 Semantic-Script Theory of Humor
(SSTH) sees humor as a violation of Grices
cooperative principle.
A joke consists of two overlapping scripts.
The two scripts are in opposition (bona-fide vs.
scatalogical)
The punch line changes the joke from the bona-fide
to the scatalogical script.
(Attardo [2007] 108)
41

Overlapping Scripts
Overlapping scripts occur not only in jokes, but also
in the allegory, the oxymoron, the conceit, the simile,
and perhaps in all allusion, symbolism, double
entendre and intertextuality.
Overlapping scripts also occur in the master tropes-metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche, and irony.
And for all of these literary forms, there is the bonafide (or literal) script, and the non-bona-fide (or
figurative) script.
(Triezenberg [2008]: 536)
41

Humor Enhancers
Katrina Triezenberg notes that humorous
discourse also has humor enhancers.
A humor enhancer is a narrative technique
that is not necessarily funny in and of itself,
but that helps the audience to understand that
the text is supposed to be funny, that warms
them up to the author and to the text so that
they will be more receptive to humor, and that
magnifies their experience of humor in the
text.
(Triezenberg [2008]: 537-538)
41

 These humor enhancers allow a piece of

humor to be instantaneous and
epiphinal. They include:
Shared stereotypes,
Cultural factors (prejudices, hang-ups,
taboos, etc.),
Familiarity (as with a good impersonation,
or as with something that is spot-on), and
Repetition and variation

(Triezenberg [2008]: 539)

41

Why Mysteries Are Not Funny

Jokes and lies both violate Grices Conversational
Implicatures. They are both examples of nonbona-fide communication.
In murder mysteries, the reader is often led down the
garden path, and given false clues.
To solve the mystery, the reader has to consider
script oppositions to determine if scripts are not
compatible with each other, and if not, why not.
(Triezenberg [2008]: 540)
41

General Theory of Verbal Humor (GTVH)

1.

Script Opposition

2.

Incongruity & Resolution

3.

Situation (including props)

4.

Target (butt of the joke)

5.

Genre (joke, riddle, etc.)

6.

Language (compatible with both scripts)

(Attardo [2007] 108)
41

Jab Lines vs. Punch Lines

Jab lines are tendentious, but punch
lines are not.
Whereas punch lines are disruptive of
the narrative they close, jab lines are
not, and in fact often contribute to the
development of the text.
(Attardo [2007] 110).
41

Salvatore Attardos Hierarchy

Lines that are related form a strand.
A bunch of related strands is called a stack.
A bridge is the occurrence of two related
lines far from each other.
A comb is the occurrence of several related
lines in close proximity.
(Attardo [2007] 111)
41

10

Attardos Defining Moment

Each story that is not a picaresque story
has a central defining event in the plot that
sets the wheels in motion:
Madame Bovarys adultery
Raskolnikoffs homicide
Lolitas seduction, etc.
(Attardo [2007] 113)
41

11

Sigmund Freud
Sigmund Freud distinguishes between
innocent and tendentious jokes.
(Attardo [2007], 104).
RIDDLE: What do you get when you cross a
mafioso with a postmodern theorist?
ANSWER: Someone who will make you an
offer you cannot understand.
(Attardo [2007] 109)
41

12

Humor Sophistication
Victor Raskin notes that sophistication
in humor is similar to sophistication
more generally, and that it entails:
Rarity, expensiveness, availability,
complexity, exoticness, subtlety,
refinement, obscurity, prestigiousness,
desirability, unexpectedness, etc.
(Raskin [2008]) 12)
41

13

Sophistication via Innuendo

When I was young I helped a good fairy in distress,
so she offered me a choice, an excellent memory or
a large penis.
I do not recall what I chose.
NOTE: Fewer and fewer people get the jokes as
sophistication increases.
Perhaps sophistication correlates with the number
of missing links in inferencing.
(Raskin [2008] 13)
41

14

Ranking of Humor
Sophistication
1. He was a man of letters. He worked at the Post
Office.
2. I am very unhappy. I have two girlfriends, and both
are cheating on me.
3-9. No Examples Given
10. Whats the difference between the sparrow? No
difference whatsoever. Both halves are identical,
especially the left one.
(Raskin [2008] 13)
41

15

Superiority Theory & Humor

Neither a Necessary nor a Sufficient Condition
When we see a Charlie Chaplin movie, do we
feel superior to Charlie Chaplin.
John Morreall feels that we laugh at the
clever and acrobatic way Charlie Chaplin
gets out of a tough situation.
Morreall also notes that if we win a race, we
feel superior to the losers, but humor does
not automatically result from winning.
(Morreall [2008] 233)
41

16

Discuss the following:

Humor is hostile
Humor diminishes selfcontrol.
Humor is irresponsible

41

17

Discuss the following:

Humor is hostile
Humor diminishes self-control.
Humor is irresponsible.
Humor is insincere.
Humor is idle.
Humor is hedonistic.
Humor fosters sexual license.
Humor fosters anarchy.
Humor is foolish.
(Morreall [2008] 237-238)
41

18

HUMOR THEORIES

THE EVOLUTION THEORIES as proposed by Charles Darwin, and

by the I. A. H. B.

THE HUMOR-IS-GOOD-FOR-YOU THEORIES as proposed by

Norman Cousins, et. al.

THE SUPERIORITY THEORIES as proposed by Aristotle, Plato,

Thomas Hobbes, Henri Bergson, and Charles Gruner

THE INCONGRUITY THEORIES as proposed by Immanuel Kant,

Arthur Shopenhauer, Paul McGhee and John Morreall

THE SURPRISE THEORIES as proposed by Ren Descartes

41

19

 THE AMBIVALENCE THEORIES (FEELINGS

AND EMOTIONS) as proposed by Socrates
THE CONFIGURATIONAL THEORIES
(GESTALT RECOGNITION AND SUDDEN
INSIGHT) as proposed by G. W. F. Hegel
THE PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORIES as
proposed by Sigmund Freud
THE RELEASE AND RELIEF THEORIES as
proposed by Harvey Mindess and William Fry
41

20

A NEW WAY OF LOOKING AT

HUMOR THEORIES:
FEATURES
FUNCTIONS
SUBJECTS
41

21

FEATURES OF HUMOR:
INCONGRUITY AND
INCONGRUITY RESULUTION
Unresolved
Resolved

41

22

FEATURES OF HUMOR:
SURPRISE AND TENSION
Surprise
Garden Path
Epiphany
Tension and Relief
41

23

ALLEEN NILSENS FEATURES OF HUMOR

Ambiguity
Exaggeration
Understatement
Hostility
Incongruity or Irony
Situation-Insight
Sudden Insight
Superiority
Surprise or Shock
A Trick or Twist
Word Play
(A. Nilsen Living Language 202-203)
41

24

EXPLAIN THE FEATURES

IN THE FOLLOWING JOKES:
David Lettermans first job in broadcasting was at
Ball State Universitys classical music radio station,
WBST. He was a constant trial to Tom Watson, the
manager, who in exasperation fired him after he
introduced the song Clair de Lune with You know
the de Lune sisters; there was Claire; there was
Mabel.
Word Play
(A. Nilsen Living Language 204)

41

25

 Left to our own devices, we

Wobegonians go straight for the small
potatoes.
Majestic doesnt appeal to us; we like
the Grand Canyon better with Clarence
and Arlene parked in front of it smiling.
Understatement
(Nilsen & Nilsen Encyclopedia 301)

41

26

 Will Rogers solemnly declared, They

have an unwritten law in the Senate
that a new member is not allowed to
say anything when he first gets in, and
another unwritten law that whatever he
says afterward is not to amount to
anything.
Superiority
(A. Nilsen Living Language 205)

41

27

 A good man dies and goes to heaven. When St.

Peter asks him if theres anything he can do for
him, the man explains that he would love to talk
to Mary, the mother of Jesus. St. Peter is happy
to set up such a meeting. After a few polite
formalities, the man tells Mary the purpose of his
request. He has always wanted to ask her
something.
When she encourages him to go ahead, he says,
Ive wondered why in all your pictures you look
so sad. Please tell me what it is. Mary sighs
and then with a little wistful smile confesses, I
always wanted a daughter.
Incongruity and Surprise
(A. Nilsen Living Language 205)
41

28

 In one of her routines, eleven-year-old Claire

Friedman told about a classmate she calls
Tiffany: During lunch, Tiffany was staring at
her carton of orange juice. I asked why. She
said, The box says concentrate.
Claire said, Tiffany is so dumb shed get
fired from an M&M factory for throwing away
all the Ws.
Superiority, Hostility, Wordplay
(A. Nilsen Living Language 204)
41

29

 During the 1960s, there was talk of nominating

Senator Margaret Chase Smith for President of the
United States. One reporter stuck a microphone in
her face and asked, Mrs. Smith, what would you do
if you should wake up some morning and find
yourself in the White House?
Without batting an eye she responded, I would go to
the presidents wife, apologize, and leave
immediately.
Situation, Surprise,etc.
(A. Nilsen Living Language 204)

41

30

 A four-year-old was brought to the emergency room

of a hospital with a bad cough.
The child kept up a nonstop conversation while the
nurse was trying to assess her lung sounds. Finally,
the nurse said, Shhh, I have to see if Barney is in
there. The child looked at her and calmly stated, I
have Jesus in my heart. Barney is on my
underwear.
Surprise, Incongruity, etc.
(A. Nilsen Living Language 204)

41

31

 At the opening of a new play, George

Bernard Shaw sent two tickets to Winston
Churchill. Shaw wrote on the letter, Here is
a ticket for you and your friendif you have
one.
Churchill sent back the tickets with a
message for Shaw. I cant attend on the
opening night, but I would love to go to the
second performanceif you have one.
Hostility, Exaggeration, Word Play, etc.
(A. Nilsen Living Language 204)

41

32

 In Alice in Wonderland, the Mock Turtle

explains to Alice that he only took the
regular course. What was that? inquired
Alice. Reeling and Writhing, of course, to
begin with, and then the different branches of
ArithmeticAmbition, Distraction,
Uglification, and Derision.
Word Play, etc.
(A. Nilsen Living Language 205)

41

33

Literary Functions of Humor:

Scripts and Double Entendre
The text of a joke is always fully or in part
compatible with two distinct scripts and the
two scripts are opposed to each other in a
special way.
The punchline triggers the switch from the
one script to the other by making the hearer
backtrack and realize that a different
interpretation [of the joke] was possible from
the very beginning.
(Attardo and Raskin [1991] 308)
41

34

PSYCHOLOGICAL
FUNCTIONS OF HUMOR

Arousal
Social Control
Establishment of Superiority
Relief, and Release
Ego Defense, Coping, and Saving Face
Gaining Status
Healing
Testing Limits

41

35

SELF-DISPARAGEMENT
Self-disparagement humor is actually
intended to empower the user. Here are
some effective ads using selfdisparagement:
Terminix Pest Control: When you think of
pests, think of us.
Twist Lemon-Menthol Cigarettes: Our new
menthol is a lemon.
41

36

 Champion International Trend Carpet: Eight

million people walked all over us. And they
dont even know our name.
Quaker Oats as a diet food: Quaker Oats:
Breakfast of losers.
Simmons bunk beds: Simmons beds are a
lot of bunk.
(Nilsen & Nilsen 273)

41

37

EDUCATIONAL
FUNCTIONS OF HUMOR

Teaching and Learning

Arguing and Persuading

41

38

SOCIAL FUNCTIONS OF HUMOR

In-Bonding and Out-Bonding

Promoting Social Stability and Control
Promoting Social Change
41

39

SUPERIORITY VS. INCONGRUITY

In Reflections upon Laughter, Frances Hutcheson argued

against Thomas Hobbess century-old superiority theory.

He pointed out that people dont go to asylums to laugh at the

inferior beings, nor do we laugh at animals unless they
resemble human beings.

We laugh at someone who slips on a banana peel not because

we feel superior, but because of the incongruity between our
expectations and the sudden insight.
(Nilsen & Nilsen 163)

41

40

!SUBJECTS OF HUMOR
Ethnic Identification
Politics
Sexual Roles and Scatology
Occupations
Religion and Belief Systems
41

41

 !!OLD TABOOS AND CENSORSHIP

These are the taboo areas in American
English. Theyre the subjects that we cant
talk about, but we must talk about.
But these taboos are changing. Most of our
censorship used to come from the right, but
now our censorship is coming from both the
right and the left. Censorship from the left is
called political correctness.

41

42

 !!!NEW TABOOS AND CENSORSHIP

TABOO AND CENSORSHIP FROM THE RIGHT
INCLUDES:
Sex, Religion, Body Parts, Swear Words, Obscenities
and Vulgarities
TABOO AND CENSORSHIP FROM THE LEFT
(POLITICAL CORRECTNESS) INCLUDES:
Women, Gays, Disabled People, Ethnic Minorities and
Old People

41

43

HUMOR WEB SITES

AMERICAN COMEDY ARCHIVES (JENNI MATZ):
www.emerson.edu/comedy
THE ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF PLAY:
http://www.tasplay.org
COMEDY ARCHIVES (JENNI MATZ):
http://www.greaterboston.tv/features/gb_20060509_comedy.html
COMEDY USA (BARRY WEINTRAUB):
www.comedyusa.com
THE HUMOR COLLECTION (RUTH HAMILTON):
www.thehumorcollection.org
41

44

HUMOR MATTERS (STEVE SULTANOFF):

http://www.humormatters.com
THE HUMOR PROJECT (JOEL GOODMAN):
www.HumorProject.com
INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF HUMOR
STUDIES (MARTIN LAMPERT):
www.humorstudies.org
ISHS HISTORICAL SITE (DON NILSEN):
http://www.uni-duesseldorf.de/WWW/MathNat/R
uch/SecretaryPage.html
41

45

LAUGHING JAPAN (TILL WEINGAERTNER):

http://www.tillchan.typepad.com/laughing
MIRTH: HUMOR AND LAUGHTER IN TEACHING (RON BERK):
www.mirthium.com
PARENTING HUMOR (TIM BETE):
http://www.TimBete.com
A PLAYFUL PATH TO WHOLENESS (BERNIE DEKOVEN):
http://www.deepfun.com
SNIGLETS (RICH HALL):
http://www.ziplink.net/users/wood/funny/snigglets.html

41

46

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