Comedy

As a popular meaning, **comedy** is any humorous discourse generally intended to amuse, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy.But its academic definition is different. An important part of comedy is comic novel.A **comic novel** is a work of fiction in which the writer not only seeks to amuse the reader, but also to make the reader think about controversial issues, sometimes with subtlety and as part of a carefully woven narrative; sometimes, above all other considerations. It is more important to unmask the ideas or themes of a comic rather than just the simple plot.

=**History**= Comedy is one of the original four genres of literature. The other three genres are tragedy, epic poetry, and lyric poetry (Defined bye //Aristotle//). Literature in general is defined by Aristotle as a mimesis, or imitation of life. Comedy is the third form of literature, being the most divorced from a true mimesis. Tragedy is the truest mimesis, followed by epic poetry, comedy and lyric poetry. At the ancient time, the genre of comedy is defined by a certain pattern that all comedies begin with a low, and end happily. Comedy is opposite of tragedy, which ends sadly. Comedies usually have elements of the supernatural, like the magic, the gods of the Ancient Greeks. Comedy includes the unrealistic portray the realistic.

=Forms= Comedy may be divided into multiple genres based on the source of humor, the method of delivery, and the context in which it is delivered. The different forms often overlap, and most comedy can fit into multiple genres. Some of the sub-genres of comedy are farce, comedy of manners, burlesque, and satire.

=Famous Comedians=

Bill Cosby
A veteran actor, television producer, activist and an author, Bill Cosby had also started his career as a stand-up comedian by performing at various clubs. His show titled //The Bill Cosby Show// is one of the all-time popular shows on television.

Charlie Chaplin
One of the greatest comedians of the world. Charlie Chaplin remains to be the king of silent comedy.

Eddie Murphy
"I can’t get over Eddie Murphy’s voice-over for the donkey in the animated movie //Shrek//." Eddie Murphy is one of the most famous and amazing comedians till date.

Jim Carrey
The weirdo Ace Ventura or the crazy, but lovable Bruce from Bruce Almighty, yes I can just go on and on about Carrey, since he is one of my personal favorites! Jim Carrey to me is synonymous with laughter riots, I just can't keep a count of all the times I’ve watched Ace Ventura and found myself rolling on the floor with unstoppable laughter!

Moliere
Moliere was a French playwright and actor, who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature. Among his best-known dramas are //The Misanthrope, The School for Wives, Tartuffe or the Hypocrite, The Bourgeois Gentleman, The Miser// and many more.

= About Comedy Writing =

To Write A Stand-up Comedy
When I started writing, I typed out all of Bob Hope's monologues, studied them, then put them away. Two weeks later I reviewed the front page of the newspaper, duplicating his style with new topics. When I met Bob Hope, he asked me to write some jokes for him. I wrote 300, and he used 10 in a show where he only told 30 jokes. The next day he called me and said, "I like your stuff. It looks like you've been writing for me all your life." I said, "Mr. Hope, I have, only you didn't know about it." 1.Keep in mind that good stand-up comedy writers are neither anointed by God nor born into it; they just write a lot. All you need to do it is a pen and some paper. 2.Steal time; compose jokes in your head while you're stuck in traffic or shaving. 3.Write with a person in mind. Get into their pattern of speaking. 4.Duplicate the person's style, but use different topics or subject matter. Do this for many different performers. 5.Don't show anyone your work until you think it's terrific. 6.Research and analyze topics that interest you. Ask questions about your topic. 7.Understand that a joke occurs at the intersection of two ideas. 8.Connect ideas that go together or are wildly opposite. 9.Manipulate your audience. Take them down a particular road and then surprise them with something else. 10.Pull the rug out from under your audience. Employ good timing so that they don't step on the rug too early or get on it and then get off before you've had a chance to deliver the humor. 11.Respect your audience at the same time; they are your bread and butter.

To Write A Comedy Script
1.Draft a brief plot as well as character names and roles. This will give you a focal point as you try to flesh it out into the skeleton of your play. In a comedy, you must decide whether you wish it to be a tragic comedy (full of irony) or slap-stick comedy (silly fun). 2.From your drafted plot and list of characters and their descriptions, create an outline of the entire play. Make it as detailed as possible so that converting it into the actual script takes less effort than creating the script from scratch. If you come up with any key pieces of conversation or jokes that will really bring out the laughter in your audience, make sure to jot it down so that you do not forget. Typically as you mull these things over, inspiration strikes once, so make sure you don't waste it! 3.Read through your outline, checking for inconsistencies, dry spots, or perhaps parts that need more attention or rewrites. 4.Once you are happy with your outline, begin to create your script by working off of your outline. You should have paid enough attention to your outline that writing up the script is simply a matter of applying details and dialogue. Try saying some of the punch lines out loud before committing to them. It may sound much funnier in your head than it will when actually spoken. Make sure that if you laughing at someone or some thing's expense that you are "appropriately" inappropriate for the crowd in front of which it will be performed. 5.Read through your script once it is completed. Revise and edit it as you see fit. Make sure it flows. Consider having someone you trust read through it as well for another perspective. 6.A great way to see if your script actually works when spoken aloud, is to actually have some people act it out for you. Hearing your script will give you a whole different perspective and may allow you to fix trouble spots. Find someone you trust to watch it with you. If you're both laughing, then it's most likely a hit!

Reference: [] [] [] [] []