BRITISH HUMOUR
“It is clear that humour is far superior to humor.”
Oscar Wilde
What is Humour?
Humour or humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. The term derives from the humoral medicine of the ancient Greeks, which taught that the balance of fluids in the human body, known as humors
What is Wit?
Wit like humour are two elements of the comic. The comic refers to any work of literature, whether a character, event, or utterance which is designed to amuse or to excite mirth in the reader or audience. The words wit and humour do have slightly different meanings. Wit signifies the faculty of human intelligence and inventiveness. (half-wit is the opposite)
Types of Humour
Sarcasm
Quotation marks around any word to make it funnier.
The use of irony to mock or convey contempt.
Physical /Visual Humour Physical comedy, also known as slapstick is
a comedic performance relying mostly on the use of the body to convey humour.
Mr Bean
Charlie Chapin
The Three
Stooges
Satire Making fun of famous people in general. (
Political Satire)
The Macabre (Black Humour)
Monty Python sketch "dead parrot." In this sketch, a man tries to make another man believe that a parrot is dead
Death at a funeral
This was remade by the Americans
Pun/Sexual InnuendoA play on words where there is
a double meaning
Sexual innuendo is where one interpretation has a sexual nature.
Rainbow
ParodyA literary or artistic work that imitates the
characteristic style of an author or a work for comic effect or ridicule
Jack Black does Lord of the Rings
Topical or Cultural Reference Humour
This is humour that relate to the current issues in our society (and often be of a serious nature)
e.g. Muhammad drawings
Achmed the dead terrorist
How is British Humour different to US?
According to Stephen Fry
• Cruelty
British humour in particular can be cruel and sad.
Bullying and harsh sarcasm
Childish behavior
To laugh at people misfortune and bad luck
Racism
Making fun of the English and foreigners: Germans, French, Spanish, Irish,...
• More Smutty and innuendo in nature
•The Inbetweeners
Disrespect to members of the establishment:
Spitting Image and Margaret Thatcher
Other Sources to look athttp://www.buzzfeed.com/ministryoflaughs/10-reasons-british-comedy-is-
better-than-american
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2007/feb/10/comedy.television
http://ideas.time.com/2011/11/09/the-difference-between-american-and-british-humour/