Description
Book SynopsisDan O'Shannon is currently co-executive producer for the ABC show
Modern Family, previously working on other Emmy nominated shows such as
Frasier and
Cheers. O'Shannon has also lectured in classes at UCLA, USC, and taught a course on writing at Cleveland State University, where he holds an honorary doctorate.
Trade ReviewComedy is an art, but there is comedy to be gained in treating it as a science. What Are You Laughing At? Is a discussion of the genre of many mediums in comedy, trying to define a broad topic which an vary person to person. Attempting to gain a better understanding of the concept of comedy, writer for many hit comedy sitcoms in the past few decades Dan O’Shannon presents an intriguing delve into psychology and sociology behind it all. What Are You Laughing At? Is a fine take on the meaning and purpose of comedy, highly recommended. -- James A. Cox, Editor-In-Chief * The Midwest Book Review - Wisconson Book Watch *
As hard as it would be to define "'the meaning of life', defining 'comedy' is harder. And somehow Dan O'Shannon does it in his insightful, comprehensive, and funny new book,
What Are You Laughing At?: A Comprehensive Guide to the Comedic Event. I’ve been writing humor for 35 years and I learned stuff! If you’re planning on a career in comedy all you will need is this book and a rubber chicken. -- Ken Levine, Writer/producer MASH and The Simpsons
Creative individuals usually have difficulty explaining how they get their ideas. But O’Shannon’s presentation of how comedy works in excellent and detailed. O’Shannon is certainly an expert at creating comedy, having written and produced television successes like Cheers, Frasier, and Modern Family. He confesses here, however, that in his job he does not use the model he describes here and that he did have scholarly help, which he praises and is thankful for. The result is a sophisticated model of humor that stands up quite well against more scholarly works like Matthew Hurley, Daniel Dennett, and Reginald Adams Jr.’s Inside Jokes (CH, Jan’12, 49-2983) and John Morreall’s Comic Relief (CH, Sep’10, 48-0062). …This is a book for anyone curious about the nature of humor. Summing up: Highly recommended. All readers. -- P. L. Derks, emeritus, College of William and Mary * Choice *
Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION
OVERVIEW
Common Comedy Theories
The Comedic Event
Documenting the Comedic Event
PART I: ELEMENTS OF CONTEXT: THE RECEPTION FACTORSCHAPTER 1: THE RECEIVER AND HIS WORLD
1-1. A Comedy Frame of Mind
1-2. Early Reception Factors
1-3. Levels of Social Interaction
CHAPTER 2: ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION
2-1. Modes of Communication
2-2. Device and Specific Device
CHAPTER 3: VEHICLES
3-1. Vehicles
3-2. Vehicle-based Reception Factors
CHAPTER 4: LEVEL OF CONTROL AND IDENTIFYING THE SOURCE
4-1. Level of Control
4-2. Identifying The Source
PART II: THE INCONGRUOUS PICTURECHAPTER 5: FUNDAMENTAL COMPONENTS
5-1. The Receiver's Brain: Hard-wired for Comedy?
5-2. The Triangle
5-3. The Core Variables
CHAPTER 6: INCONGRUITY
6-1. Incongruity
6-2. Estimating Levels of Incongruity
6-3. Types of Incongruity
CHAPTER 7: COGNITIVE PROCESS
7-1. Cognitive Process: Overview
7-2. Level One: Straightforward Information
7-3. Level Two: Gap-filling
7-4: Level Three: Recontextualization
CHAPTER 8: VARIATIONS
8-1. Exploring the Four Corners of the Triangle
8-2. What are Practical Jokes?
CHAPTER 9: COMEDY AND ENTROPY
9-1. Sustaining the Laugh
9-2. Entropy
PART III: ENHANCERS AND INHIBITORSCHAPTER 10: HOW COMEDIC INFORMATION TRIGGERS ENHANCERS AND INHIBITORS
10-1. Overview
10-2. On-going Social Needs: Superiority, Identification, and Inclusion
10-3. Aspects of Awareness
CHAPTER 11: ELEMENTS OF THE JOKE'S COMMUNICATION, STRUCTURE, AND CONTENT
11-1. Resuming the Chart: The Joke as a Whole
11-2. Elements of Communication and Structure
11-3. Elements of Content
SUMMING IT ALL UP
The Completed Chart
Final Thoughts and Acknowledgments
