Humor

 

·       Autobiographies often use short, humorous anecdotes (stories) to enliven the story and illustrate a point.

 

·       Although different people find different things funny, there are some standard criterions for creating humor.

 

o     One criterion is to use material that is outrageous.

o     Another is to focus on the unexpected.  Some authors take advantage of the fact that their readers enjoy situations in which the authors make fun of things that the readers themselves find annoying, such as homework.

 

·       Some humor is verbal - jokes or plays on words

·       Some humor is physical – such as slapstick humor.

·       Some require readers to use their imagination.  For example, the anecdote about the two baths is funnier if you try to imagine it rather than reading it.

 

 

 

Irony

 

·       Irony: it is an _expression of the opposite of what is expected or the opposite of what is meant.

 

Example: “Shut up and listen to me,” he roared. … (pg. 84, last paragraph in the 1^st column).  This particular kind of irony is humorous because it casts light on a person’s foibles (minor flaws; weaknesses) in a gently teasing way.

 

There are three types of Irony:

 

o     Verbal Irony:  is when someone says the opposite of what they mean.

o     Situation Irony:  is when what happens is very different from what is expected.

              o  Dramatic Irony:  is when the reader knows something that one or more                     characters don’t know.