Description

Book Synopsis

Comedy is a game that all humans play. There are big social prizes if you win, but it is easy to end up with custard pie on your face... or worse.

Comedy can soothe our pain, vent our anger, make us feel less alone and provide the answer to life's most difficult questions, such as, What do you call a man with a seagull on his head?'* It's a social glue but it can also be divisive, and the joke is on us if we don't understand how it works.

So, what are the rules? How does comedy do its magic and why does it matter? Join professional comedy writer Joel Morris on a hilarious journey into the hidden world of shared laughter where he reveals the mechanisms that make jokes work and what comedy can teach us about ourselves. Offering astute analysis of everything from stand-up to slapstick and sitcom to spoof, Morris examines comedic patterns, rhythms and dynamics to uncover the algorithms that secretly underpin comedy.

Packed with gags and examples of

Be Funny or Die

    Product form

    A Hardback by Joel Morris

    £18.04

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    RRP £18.99 – you save £0.95 (5%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Thu 29 Oct 2026.

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      Book details

      Publisher Unbound
      Published 1 July 2024
      ISBN-13 9781800183100
      978-1800183100
      ISBN-10 1800183100

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      Comedy is a game that all humans play. There are big social prizes if you win, but it is easy to end up with custard pie on your face... or worse.

      Comedy can soothe our pain, vent our anger, make us feel less alone and provide the answer to life's most difficult questions, such as, What do you call a man with a seagull on his head?'* It's a social glue but it can also be divisive, and the joke is on us if we don't understand how it works.

      So, what are the rules? How does comedy do its magic and why does it matter? Join professional comedy writer Joel Morris on a hilarious journey into the hidden world of shared laughter where he reveals the mechanisms that make jokes work and what comedy can teach us about ourselves. Offering astute analysis of everything from stand-up to slapstick and sitcom to spoof, Morris examines comedic patterns, rhythms and dynamics to uncover the algorithms that secretly underpin comedy.

      Packed with gags and examples of

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