What Are You Laughing At?
A Comprehensive Guide to the Comedic Event
By: Dan O'Shannon
About What Are You Laughing At?
If you're looking for a book that will teach you how to write comedy, we suggest you keep moving. You still have time to pick up a copy of Writing Big Yucks for Big Bucks before the store closes. However, if you want to understand the bigger picture -- what is comedy, why do we respond to it the way we do -- then you've come to the right place.
What Are You Laughing At? presents an entirely new approach to comedy theory. It challenges long-held beliefs and shows how the three main theories of comedy (incongruity, superiority, and relief) are not in conflict; but rather, work as parts of a larger model. There are many examples pulled from the author's own experiences, writing for shows such as Cheers, Frasier, and Modern Family. By the end, you'll have an understanding of just what happens when man meets comedy. It will change the way you hear laughter.
Table Of Contents
INTRODUCTION
OVERVIEW
Common Comedy Theories
The Comedic Event
Documenting the Comedic Event
PART I: ELEMENTS OF CONTEXT: THE RECEPTION FACTORS
CHAPTER 1: THE RECEIVER AND HIS WORLD
1-1. A Comedy Frame of Mind
1-2. Early Reception Factors
1-3. Levels of Social Interaction
CHAPTER 2: ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION
2-1. Modes of Communication
2-2. Device and Specific Device
CHAPTER 3: VEHICLES
3-1. Vehicles
3-2. Vehicle-based Reception Factors
CHAPTER 4: LEVEL OF CONTROL AND IDENTIFYING THE SOURCE
4-1. Level of Control
4-2. Identifying The Source
PART II: THE INCONGRUOUS PICTURE
CHAPTER 5: FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENTS
5-1. The Receiver's Brain: Hard-wired for Comedy?
5-2. The Triangle
5-3. The Core Variables
CHAPTER 6: INCONGRUITY
6-1. Incongruity
6-2. Estimating Levels of Incongruity
6-3. Types of Incongruity
CHAPTER 7: COGNITIVE PROCESS
7-1. Cognitive Process: Overview
7-2. Level One: Straightforward Information
7-3. Level Two: Gap-filling
7-4: Level Three: Recontextualization
CHAPTER 8: VARIATIONS
8-1. Exploring the Four Corners of the Triangle
8-2. What are Practical Jokes?
CHAPTER 9: COMEDY AND ENTROPY
9-1. Sustaining the Laugh
9-2. Entropy
PART III: ENHANCERS AND INHIBITORS
CHAPTER 10: HOW COMEDIC INFORMATION TRIGGERS ENHANCERS AND INHIBITORS
10-1. Overview
10-2. On-going Social Needs: Superiority, Identification, and Inclusion
10-3. Aspects of Awareness
CHAPTER 11: ELEMENTS OF THE JOKE'S COMMUNICATION, STRUCTURE, AND CONTENT
11-1. Resuming the Chart: The Joke as a Whole
11-2. Elements of Communication and Structure
11-3. Elements of Content
SUMMING IT ALL UP
The Completed Chart
Final Thoughts and Acknowledgments
Reviews
“Comedy is an art, but there is comedy to be gained in treating it as a science. What Are You Laughing At? Is a discussion of the genre of many mediums in comedy, trying to define a broad topic which an vary person to person. Attempting to gain a better understanding of the concept of comedy, writer for many hit comedy sitcoms in the past few decades Dan O’Shannon presents an intriguing delve into psychology and sociology behind it all. What Are You Laughing At? Is a fine take on the meaning and purpose of comedy, highly recommended.” – James A. Cox, Editor-In-Chief, The Midwest Book Review - Wisconson Book Watch
“As hard as it would be to define "'the meaning of life', defining 'comedy' is harder. And somehow Dan O'Shannon does it in his insightful, comprehensive, and funny new book, What Are You Laughing At?: A Comprehensive Guide to the Comedic Event. I’ve been writing humor for 35 years and I learned stuff! If you’re planning on a career in comedy all you will need is this book and a rubber chicken.” – Ken Levine, Writer/producer MASH and The Simpsons,
“Creative individuals usually have difficulty explaining how they get their ideas. But O’Shannon’s presentation of how comedy works in excellent and detailed. O’Shannon is certainly an expert at creating comedy, having written and produced television successes like Cheers, Frasier, and Modern Family. He confesses here, however, that in his job he does not use the model he describes here and that he did have scholarly help, which he praises and is thankful for. The result is a sophisticated model of humor that stands up quite well against more scholarly works like Matthew Hurley, Daniel Dennett, and Reginald Adams Jr.’s Inside Jokes (CH, Jan’12, 49-2983) and John Morreall’s Comic Relief (CH, Sep’10, 48-0062). …This is a book for anyone curious about the nature of humor. Summing up: Highly recommended. All readers.” – P. L. Derks, emeritus, College of William and Mary, Choice
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