Page 61 - The Language of Humour

48 THE SHOCK OF THE NEW
both the genre of sci-fi and Shakespeare’s play The Tempest In the new
work of parody there is reference to an older, existing form, in that
recognisable features of it are imitated; some of the most quoted
Shakespearean lines are used with slight changes:

‘Once more unto the bridge my friends.’ (into the breech)
‘Two bleeps or not two bleeps, that is the question.’ (to be)

In this sense parody is a parasitical form, which cannot exist without its
‘host’, but this need not mean that it cannot be original or creative. This
consciousness of form is sometimes termed self-reflexive—the text
encourages the reader or listener to focus on the style itself and be
aware of a conf lict or dialogue between the old style and the parodic
version. There is a critical distance; the audience cannot be swept along
by enjoyment of the text itself. The film Wayne’s World has three
endings, each using ‘set-pieces’ of a genre. For an audience unfamiliar
with the cartoon series Scooby Doo, the literal unmasking of the villain
in one ending would have no intertextual impact.
This may explain the very different reception of humour with
elements of parody. It cannot be appreciated without reference to the
context—the term transcontextualise means bridging two contexts. For
example the television shows of Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer can
seem strange and annoying to an audience who are unaware of the
existing showbiz conventions being distorted. Other contemporary
television comedies rely on knowledge of specific allusions. One of the
sketches in Harry Enfield and Chums (the title itself being an allusion)
features a character called ‘Mr Dead’ who is propped up in a stable.
Taken on its own, this seems pointlessly bizarre; the humour relies on
knowledge of the old children’s television show featuring a talking
horse called ‘Mr Ed’. A significant factor in some modern comedy is
the reference to genres that were never considered great or inf luential;
part of the impact is the very fact that they were considered ‘naff’ at the
time. There are a number of ways that this can be signalled—to tell a
joke and immediately add: ‘B-boom’ in the manner of Basil Brush, is
one way. Perhaps this is similar to moves in fashion, where the notion
of retro—imitation of a style from the past—often reinstates the most
‘unfashionable’ designs, but an older person wearing crimplene would
not have the same effect. The element of self-awareness is essential,
wearing the clothes ‘in quotation marks’. Parody uses signals, which
can only be recognised by an audience familiar with the original.