operasteers | dissecting the laughter of a clown

it's been fascinating reading Humor: A Very Short Introduction by Noël Carroll for this semester's focus on the comedy genre and examining humor through an analytical and scholarly lens. i think one of the things that kinda surprised me was the superiority theory on laughter, and how one theorist, A.M. Ludovici, associated the visual of laughter with hostility because you bare your teeth out. to be honest, i can see why he thought that, because it's not uncommon in media when there's a scene of someone getting mocked and/or harassed, that it'll focus on the sounds of laughter and emphasize the harassers and even by-standers mouths with close-ups, which are usually laughing. Carrol then goes on about how the theory doesn't really hold up as you start to examine the other forms of humor, which is where the incongruity theory comes in. that's as far as i've gotten in my reading so far, but it is neat seeing how humor has evolved from being seen as mean-spirited and dishonest, like how Plato and Aristotle viewed it, to laughter therapy being a thing now in the present.

i'm also really excited for the articles and films we get to read, because i think it's really going to give me a lot of context as to why a lot of the tropes in the comedy genre exist, and my professor mentioned that when it comes to comedy, the people who get credited as the writers becomes a bit tricky, and how, at least in the u.s., humor's always been kinda used to bypass censors.

also i can't believe january's almost over, like geez... time really is a speedracer ain't it? but that also means the nier orchestra is OH IT'S NEXT WEEK....oh jesus that is... a lot sooner than what i was thinking.... anyhow!

hope y'all have a warm and safe day, yes :v