Page 50 - The Language of Humour

THE SHOCK OF THE NEW 37
attention to the wording of sayings so familiar that they are used
without thought of the meaning:

‘Pheebs, you wanna help?’
‘Oh, I wish I could, but I really don’t want to.’ (Friends)

Reference to language itself is also a factor when humorists slightly
alter the wording of well-known sayings:

Save a little money each month and at the end of the year you’ll
be surprised at how little you have. (Ernest Haskins)

The term intertextuality is used when you need to understand that a
reference is being made to an existing text. Some humour refers to
existing styles and conventions of humour itself. You have to
understand how ‘elephant jokes’ usually work to appreciate that the
common sense answer is surprising:

What would you do if an elephant sat in front of you at the
cinema? Miss most of the film.

Activity with text

Performance poetry has moved into venues like pubs, and attracts a I
younger audience than traditional poetry readings. ‘Slam poetry’ has the
audience participating by judging the poets, so the poems’ appeal has to
be immediate and contemporary. Comment on the type of humour and
the way in which it is created in these two poems by Neil Gauckwin
(Some You Win, Some You Slam, Guffaw Productions, 1997) and one by
Sophie Hannah (Hotels Like Houses, Carcanet Press, 1996):

Handbag
We wanted a lizard skin handbag
instead of the real thing.
It seemed less cruel.
Who wants a bag made out of hands anyway?
Only enough room for two scrunched up tissues
and a few other things.
Interior Design