humor-theories文档.pptVIP

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 41 * At the opening of a new play, George Bernard Shaw sent two tickets to Winston Churchill. Shaw wrote on the letter, “Here is a ticket for you and your friend—if you have one.” Churchill sent back the tickets with a message for Shaw. “I can’t attend on the opening night, but I would love to go to the second performance—if you have one.” Hostility, Exaggeration, Word Play, etc. (A. Nilsen Living Language 204) 41 * In Alice in Wonderland, the Mock Turtle explains to Alice that he “only took the regular course.” “What was that?” inquired Alice. “Reeling and Writhing, of course, to begin with, and then the different branches of Arithmetic—Ambition, Distraction, Uglification, and Derision.” Word Play, etc. (A. Nilsen Living Language 205) 41 * Literary Functions of Humor:Scripts and Double Entendre “The text of a joke is always fully or in part compatible with two distinct scripts and the two scripts are opposed to each other in a special way.” “The punchline triggers the switch from the one script to the other by making the hearer backtrack and realize that a different interpretation [of the joke] was possible from the very beginning.” (Attardo and Raskin [1991] 308) 41 * PSYCHOLOGICAL FUNCTIONS OF HUMOR Arousal Social Control Establishment of Superiority Relief, and Release Ego Defense, Coping, and Saving Face Gaining Status Healing Testing Limits 41 * SELF-DISPARAGEMENT Self-disparagement humor is actually intended to empower the user. Here are some effective ads using self-disparagement: Terminix Pest Control: “When you think of pests, think of us. Twist Lemon-Menthol Cigarettes: “Our new menthol is a lemon.” 41 * Champion International Trend Carpet: “Eight million people walked all over us. And they don’t even know our name.” Quaker Oats as a diet food: “Quaker Oats: Breakfast of losers.” Simmons bunk beds: “Simmons beds are a lot of bunk.” (