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humor
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From: SendtoJMA at aol.com <SendtoJMA>
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 13:39:35 EDT
One of the tricks of writing humor is incongruity. Take this line from Carl Hiaasen's forthcoming y/a debut novel, "Hoot":
"His eyelids twitched from lack of sleep, and all day long he perspired like an Arkansas hog."
The word "perspired" belongs to formal diction, while "like an Arkansas hog" belongs to a kind of tall-tale vernacular style. "Sweated like an Arkansas hog" isn't half as funny as "perspired" because there is no startling incongruity. This is one reason why I always laugh when my very pretty, dainty, little dog looks at me with sweet doe eyes and then lets out a loud burp. It's just not what you expected. This is a more subtle kind of humor than slapstick or fart jokes, but can be just as funny.
And "Hoot" is a hoot, as you'd expect from Carl Hiaasen.
Jennifer Armstrong www.jennifer-armstrong.com
Received on Thu 09 May 2002 12:39:35 PM CDT
Date: Thu, 9 May 2002 13:39:35 EDT
One of the tricks of writing humor is incongruity. Take this line from Carl Hiaasen's forthcoming y/a debut novel, "Hoot":
"His eyelids twitched from lack of sleep, and all day long he perspired like an Arkansas hog."
The word "perspired" belongs to formal diction, while "like an Arkansas hog" belongs to a kind of tall-tale vernacular style. "Sweated like an Arkansas hog" isn't half as funny as "perspired" because there is no startling incongruity. This is one reason why I always laugh when my very pretty, dainty, little dog looks at me with sweet doe eyes and then lets out a loud burp. It's just not what you expected. This is a more subtle kind of humor than slapstick or fart jokes, but can be just as funny.
And "Hoot" is a hoot, as you'd expect from Carl Hiaasen.
Jennifer Armstrong www.jennifer-armstrong.com
Received on Thu 09 May 2002 12:39:35 PM CDT
