Writing and Public Discourse 118hm - Colloquium: Topics in Writing-No, Seriously...What's So Funny? Writing about Humor

Nietzsche called maturity the rediscovered seriousness of a child at play. What is the meaning of comedy in light of this “seriousness of the child at play?” Why do people laugh, at what and in what way? How does one distinguish silly comedy from serious comedy? This course examines such questions on comic platforms including film, music, videos, short stories and cartoons. Students explore the “structure” of the comic moment as viewer or listener encounters surprise, transgression or enchantment, especially in 20th-century comedy, and the affectivity of the comic encounter from pure “clowning” to savage social commentary. Enrollment limited to 15.

[CE] WRT 118 Limit