Perspectives on American Humor
Melissa A. Pearlman
Any study of American Literature would
not be complete without a study of the authors who, through their writings,
reveal the humorous side of the American character. American writers from
Washington Irving to Woody Allen reflect an ability to amuse their audience by
creating dramatic comedy, which criticize, satirize, parody, or burlesque the
American scene. It is our legacy as
Americans and our heritage of freedom of speech that enable us to laugh at our
follies and criticize society, government and ourselves. Because a study of American literature and the American
character would not be complete without the study of the lighter side of life,
this unit emphasizes perspectives on American humor.
Peabody High School is a comprehensive
public high school located in the East End neighborhood of Pittsburgh. In 1911,
Peabody became the first district high school where children from East Liberty
could attend high school. The
school was named in honor of Dr. Benjamin H. Peabody, a local physician who had
served as a surgeon in the Union Army before coming to Pittsburgh.
Over the years, Peabody has met the
needs of a growing student population and underwent two major renovations, one
in 1925 and other in 1975. Today,
the facility houses approximately 900 students.
The school serves the communities of the East End of Pittsburgh,
including East Liberty, Larimer, Highland Park, Friendship, Bloomfield,
Garfield, Morningside, Lawrenceville, Shadyside and Stanton Heights.
Currently, I am responsible for
teaching the English 3 CAS (gifted) course. The curriculum focuses on American
Literature and materials from the Advanced Placement Language and Composition
Exam. The course provides enriched
and specially designed instruction that continues to include an inquiry and
problem solving approach to learning. One
of the primary themes of the curriculum is tragedy as seen in works by Arthur
Miller, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edith Wharton, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest
Hemingway, Maya Angelou and others. Rarely,
does the course focus on the more comedic writers of the American Literature
genre.
This unit is designed to be a part of
the American Literature and Communications course.
As a teacher of American Literature, I have witnessed the manner in which
students respond to the vast amount of tragedy within this unit of study. As the
year begins there is an immense amount of interest and anticipation regarding
the literature. By the end of the first semester, something unique begins to
occur. Through enhanced discussion and open dialogue students begin to recognize
that there is an enormous amount of sadness, death and misery expressed
thematically in this genre. Consequently, a high level of despondency towards
the literature they have read begins to occur. I often applaud their efforts for
recognizing this unique, and surely accurate, concept.
In contrast, this unit would examine
the comedic writers of the 1900’s. As
the students conclude their study of the early 1920’s including pieces such
as, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Zora Neale Hurston’s Their
Eyes Were Watching God and Arthur Miller’s Death of Salesman, we will begin to explore writers who
experimented with the structure of comedy.
One of the primary objectives of the unit will require that students
understand the structure of a tragedy and juxtapose that structure with that of
a comedy. Once these two structures
are observed, students will be able to draw some comparisons between these two
styles of writing. An additional objective will be for students to recognize the
genre of comedy. Very rarely are
students able to connect to literature in such a way that it makes them laugh or
even smile. My goal will be to
expose students to these writings in an effort to augment the literature from
the secondary English curriculum that focus on the American dream.
A final objective will be encouraging the students to develop their own
creative writing techniques in the are of comedy. These writing exercises will further their understanding of
comedy.
It is my goal, as the instructor, to
encourage students to identify key elements of humor. What is it that they find
funny? How is comedy passed on from
one person to another? What is it that one can decipher as humorous? As we begin
to answer these questions I will share with students the following quotation:
Humor
is laughing at what you haven’t got
when you ought to
have it. Of course you laugh
by
proxy. You’re really laughing at the other
guys lacks, not your own. That’s what makes
it funny – the
fact that you don’t know you are
laughing at
yourself. Humor is when the joke is
on you but hits
the other fellow first – because
it boomerangs.
Humor is what you wish in your
secret heart were
not funny. But it is, and you
must laugh. Humor is your unconscious therapy.
-
Langston Hughes
I found this quotation to be useful in
this context for several reasons. First, the students are familiar with the
works of Langston Hughes from our study of the Harlem Renascence. As a class we
examined Hughes as a poet and students responded to his words of passion with
great zeal. Second, his words are rather appropriate for adolescents. His words
require one to be introspective when considering comedy. It is helpful to laugh
at oneself in and recognize that we are not flawless or without fault. Hughes’
words help to define humor on a very critical and personal level.
Throughout the first semester students
have studied several tragedies (The Crucible, Ethan Frome, The
Great Gatsby and Death of a Salesman). It is still important, however
to review information associated with tragedy in an effort to prepare students
for the information that dissects the structure of comedy.
The definition I provide students with
most often is: tragedy depicts the
downfall of a basically good person through some fatal error or misjudgment,
producing suffering and insight on the part of the protagonist and arousing pity
and fear on the part of the audience.
To explain this definition further, we
can review the following principles or general requirements for tragedy:
·
A
true tragedy should evoke pity and fear on the part of the audience.
According to Aristotle, pity and fear are the natural human response to
spectacles of pain and suffering--especially to the sort of suffering that can
strike anybody at any time. Aristotle goes on to say that tragedy effects
"the catharsis of these
emotions"--in effect arousing pity and fear only to purge them, as when we
exit a scary movie feeling relieved or exhilarated.
·
The
tragic hero must be essentially admirable and good.
As Aristotle points out, the fall of a scoundrel or villain evokes applause
rather than pity. Audiences cheer when the bad guy goes down. On the other hand,
the downfall of an essentially good person disturbs us and stirs our compassion.
As a rule, the nobler and more truly admirable a person is, the greater will be
our anxiety or grief at his or her downfall.
·
In
a true tragedy, the hero's demise must come as a result of some personal error
or decision. In other words, in Aristotle's view
there is no such thing as an innocent victim
of tragedy, nor can a genuinely tragic downfall ever be purely a matter of
blind accident or bad luck. Instead, authentic tragedy must always be the
product of some fatal choice or action, for the tragic hero must always bear at
least some responsibility for his own doom.
Critical
Terms
Anagnorisis (tragic
recognition or insight): according to Aristotle, a moment of clairvoyant insight
or understanding in the mind of the tragic hero as he suddenly comprehends the
web of fate that he has entangled himself in.
Hamartia (tragic
error): a fatal error or simple mistake on the part of the protagonist that
eventually leads to the final catastrophe. A metaphor from archery, Hamartia literally refers to a shot that misses the bulls-eye.
Hence it need not be an egregious "fatal flaw" (as the term Hamartia
has traditionally been glossed). Instead, it can be something as basic and
inescapable as a simple miscalculation or slip-up.
Hubris (violent
transgression): the sin par excellence of the tragic or over-aspiring hero.
Though it is usually translated as pride,
hubris is probably better understood
as a sort of insolent daring, a haughty overstepping of cultural codes or
ethical boundaries.
Nemesis
(retribution): the inevitable punishment or cosmic payback for acts of hubris.
Peripateia (plot
reversal): a pivotal or crucial action on the part of the protagonist that
changes his situation from seemingly secure too vulnerable.
Prior to our first reading, I will
present (with the same detail) a background information and important terms in
relation to the study of comedy.
According to Aristotle (who speculates
on the matter in his Poetics), ancient
comedy originated with the komos, a
curious and improbable spectacle in which a company of festive males apparently
sang, danced, and cavorted around naked to entertain the masses.
The linking of the origins of comedy to
some sort of comic ritual or festival of mirth seems both plausible and
appropriate, since for most of its history--from Aristophanes to
Seinfeld--comedy has involved a high-spirited celebration of human sexuality and
the triumph of eros. As a rule,
tragedies occur on the battlefield or in a palace's great hall; a more likely
setting for comedy is the bedroom or bathroom.
On the other hand, it is not true that
a film or literary work must involve sexual humor or even be funny in order to
qualify as a comedy. A happy ending is all that's required. In fact, since at
least as far back as Aristotle, the basic formula for comedy has had more to do
with conventions and expectations of plot and character than with a requirement
for lewd jokes or cartoonish pratfalls. In
essence: A comedy is a story of the rise in fortune of
a sympathetic central character.
The Comic Hero
Of course this definition
does not mean that the main character in a comedy has to be a spotless hero in
the classic sense. It only means that she (or he) must display at least the
minimal level of personal charm or worth of character it takes to win the
audience's basic approval and support. The rise of a completely worthless person
or the triumph of an utter villain is not comical. On the other hand, judging
from the qualities displayed by many of literature's most popular comic heroes
(e.g., Falstaff, Puck) audiences have no trouble at all pulling for a likeable
rogue or fun-loving scamp.
Aristotle suggests that comic figures
are mainly "average to below average" in terms of moral character,
perhaps having in mind the wily servant or witty knave who was already a stock
character of ancient comedy. He also suggests that only low or ignoble figures
can strike us as ridiculous. However, the most ridiculous characters are often
those who, although well-born, are merely pompous or self-important instead of
truly noble. Similarly, the most sympathetic comic figures are frequently
underdogs, young men or women from humble or disadvantaged backgrounds who prove
their real worth through various tests of character over the course of a story
or play.
Ordinary People
Traditionally, comedy has
to do with the concerns and exploits of ordinary people.
The characters of comedy therefore tend to be plain, everyday figures
(lower or middle-income husbands and wives, students and teachers, children and
parents, etc.) instead of the kings, queens, heroes, and heads of state who form
the dramatis personae of tragedy.
Comic plots, accordingly, tend to be about the kind of problems that
ordinary people are typically involved with: winning a new boyfriend (or
reclaiming an old one), succeeding at a job, passing an exam, getting the money
needed to pay for a medical operation, or simply coping with a bad day. Again,
the true hallmark of comedy is not always laughter. More often, it is the simple
satisfaction we feel when we witness deserving people succeeds.
Types of
Comedies
Comedies can be separated
into at least three categories or sub-genres--identified and briefly
characterized
as follows:
·
Farce
- The identifying features of farce are
zaniness, slapstick humor, and hilarious improbability. The characters of farce
are typically fantastic or absurd and usually far more ridiculous than those in
other forms of comedy. At the same time, farcical plots are often full of wild
coincidences and seemingly endless twists and complications. Elaborate comic
intrigues involving deception, disguise, and mistaken identity are the rule.
Examples of the genre include Shakespeare's Comedy
of Errors, the "Pink Panther" movies, and the films of the Marx
Brothers and Three Stooges.
·
Romantic
Comedy - Perhaps the most popular of all comic
forms--both on stage and on screen--is the romantic comedy. In this genre the
primary distinguishing feature is a love plot in which two sympathetic and
well-matched lovers are united or reconciled. In a typical romantic comedy the
two lovers tend to be young, likeable, and apparently meant for each other, yet
they are kept apart by some complicating circumstance (e.g., class differences,
parental interference; a previous girlfriend or boyfriend) until, surmounting
all obstacles, they are finally wed. A
wedding-bells, fairy-tale-style happy ending is practically mandatory. Examples:
Much Ado about Nothing, Walt Disney's Cinderella,
Guys and Dolls, Sleepless in Seattle.
Satirical Comedy - The subject of satire is human vice and folly. Its characters include con-artists, criminals, tricksters, deceivers, wheeler-dealers, two-timers, hypocrites, and fortune-seekers and the gullible dupes, knaves, goofs, and cuckolds who serve as their all-too-willing victims. Satirical comedies resemble other types of comedy in that they trace the rising fortune of a central character. However, in this case, the central character (like virtually everybody else in the play or story) is likely to be cynical, foolish, or morally corrupt. In its most extreme forms (movies like Fargo and Pulp Fiction), satirical comedy spills over into so-called Black Comedy – where we are invited to laugh at events that are mortifying or grotesque (Something about Mary and American Pie).
Once this information is disseminated
to students, I will reiterate the differences between comedy and tragedy. Here
are five distinctions between these two genres that I will encourage students to
discover through discussion. First, Aristotle declared that comedy deals with
people lower than we are, tragedy with people higher. We look down on the
former; we admire the latter. Second, Dante observed that a comedy begins in a
bad situation and ends in a good one. A tragedy does just the opposite. Third,
the modern critic Northrop Frye thought that comedy integrates a whole society
at the end of the work whereas tragedy focuses on and isolates the tragic hero.
Fourth, comedy has non-incremental repetition; tragedy has incremental
repetition. Fifth, tragedy affirms responsibility whereas comedy ignores
responsibility.
In an effort to adhere to my school
district’s literacy initiative, it is crucial for me, as a teacher, to create
lessons and strategies that capture the interest of my students. It is my role
to help students witness that literature need not be the study of literary
classics, analysis of the grammatical structure of sentences and style or what
they perceive as the arduous writing of structured essays. Literacy is a vital
part of their lives and there are ways for them to relate to the works they
study in English class. I see humor as a key connector between literacy and
student response.
The primary objective of this unit will
require that student familiarize themselves with the history of comedy dating
back to the Greek structure. Because
students are familiar with the structure of tragedy in literature, they will be
able to juxtapose these two structures. Once these two structures are observed,
students will be able to draw some comparisons between these two styles of
writing.
An additional objective will be for
students to recognize the genre of comedy by identifying elements of humor in
the various selections we study. For
example, when we are studying Woody Allen’s essay “My Speech to the
Graduates” the concept will be parody and satire.
In addition to Allen’s work, Erma Bombeck employs an immense amount of
satire in her work as it relates to the American dream.
A final objective will be to encourage
students to develop their own creative writing techniques in the area of comedy.
Following each reading selection, students will be asked to draw from the
humor of the piece and develop a piece of writing in an effort to emulate style,
structure, plot, character or setting.
Core Readings
·
“The Kugelmass Episode”
Woody Allen
·
“My Speech to the Graduates”
Woody Allen
·
The Grass is Always Greener over
the Septic Tank Erma
Bombeck (selected passages)
·
“The Devil and Daniel Webster”
Stephen Vincent Benet
·
“The Devil and Tom Walker”
Washington Irving
·
“I Ought to be in Pictures” Neil
Simon
Additional Readings
·
“The Late Benjamin Franklin”
Mark Twain
·
“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”
James Thurber
·
To be Young Gifted and Black
Lorraine Hansbury
·
“The Diary of Adam and Eve” Mark
Twain
·
The Best of Simple
by Langston Hughes
One of the great challenges of teaching comedy is for
students to first understand what is humor and, more importantly, what makes
something humorous. Before I disseminate the notes that identify key elements of
humor I want to pose the following question: What makes something funny?
This require students to examine what makes them laugh.
What is it that evokes laughter? This
query is best presented as a journal writing exercise in which students are
given 10 minutes at the start of class to respond to the question.
It is best if students respond with a list. Because humor is such a
powerful emotion, it is a good idea to understand (if that is possible), the
psychological basis of humor. More specifically, what makes laughter and the
humorous situation plausible.
I will ask students to share their lists and record all
responses on the board. After sharing, I will ask students to choose one item
from their list and write an explanation as to why that particular
idea/situation was funny. In essence, they will be asked to explain the humor.
This will require them to dissect the situation and prepare a written
explanation of what caused humor. This is difficulty but it will force the
students to examine the critical elements of humor.
Following this exercise I will begin to provide students
with some fundamental concepts/terms associated with comedy, key character types
in comedies and the three types of comedies (see Rationale).
For homework, students will be asked to pay close attention
to when they hear people laugh. Then, ask, "Why did they laugh"?
Record the incident in double entry format. The left entry should
describe the incident and the right side should explain the humor as it pertains
to the characteristic we reviewed in class. Keep this journal for one week or 25
entries (which ever comes first). This attention will sharpen their skills at
recognizing humor and help you get a feeling for what makes humor work.
Kugelmass,
a professor of humanities who is suffering from boredom, decides that he needs
romance. When cautioned by his psychiatrist to express his feelings rather than
act them out, Kugelmass decides he needs a magician rather than an analyst.
Shortly thereafter, he receives a phone call from a magician who promises to
provide excitement for him by projecting him into a novel.
Kugelmass, skeptical at first, finally chooses Madame Bovary and
is projected into the novel, there to act out his fantasies. This feat works
successfully several times, until he takes Emma Bovary to New York for the
weekend. Unable to have Emma returned to the novel, his is faced with the
reality of living out a fantasy and affirms that he has learned his lesson.
Three weeks later, however, he has forgotten his promise and returns to the
magician to once again act out a fantasy. This
time, however, he is projected into a textbook of remedial Spanish where he is
pursued by the ver “tener.” Replete with irony, this story mirrors the
author’s humorous reflections on the human condition in modern times.
·
Students will identify elements of
humor in this story.
·
Students will define irony and satire.
·
Students will relate this story to the
human condition in modern times.
1.
Review
the following vocabulary with students prior to the reading of the piece. These
words will become a part of the student’s, already existing, vocabulary
notebooks.
·
coy
·
quips
·
troglodyte
·
lackluster
·
ogled
·
shamus
2.
After
students have read “The Kugelmass Episode”, as a class, we will analyze the
story with reference to the following questions:
·
Describe the state of Kugelmass’
life.
·
Explain the significance of Kugelmass
being a professor of the humanities?
·
How does the episode with the
psychiatrist add to the humor of the story?
·
Describe Persky’s plan for Kugelmass.
How does it work?
·
What realization does Kugelmass come to
when he is unable to return Emma Bovary to the novel?
·
Why does he later change his mind about
the difficulty of living out a fantasy?
·
Discuss the significance of being
pursued at the end of the story by the Spanish verb “tener” (to have).
·
What is being satirized in this story?
3.
After
we discuss the various responses to the discussion questions, students will be
assigned to write a monologue in which a character reflects on a specific
fantasy. The assignment will require the use of vivid imagery, active verb usage
and irony.
By the conclusion of the lesson
students will have
·
identified the key elements of
humor in a selected passage.
·
write a humorous monologue.
·
Write a critique of “The Kugelmass
Episode” pointing out successful elements of humor
In this essay, addressed to any
contemporary graduating class, Woody Allen parodies the traditional graduation
speech and satirizes the terminology used by people in modern times to explain
their plight. He treats weighty philosophical subjects – the role of science,
the passing of religious beliefs, the god of technology, the role of politics,
an violence – in a humorous fashion which makes us laugh at our own
seriousness of these matters.
Objectives
·
Students will define the terms parody
and satire.
·
Students will identify elements of
satire in this essay.
·
Students will analyze the structure of
the speech.
·
Students will evaluate the elements of
humor depicted in Allen’s work.
1.
Allen
employs some challenging vocabulary words in this piece. It is important for
students to familiarize themselves with the definition of these terms prior to
the reading of the essay.
·
blithely
·
benevolent
·
totalitarianism
·
wantonly
·
fascism
·
exacerbate
·
rampant
2.
Prior
to reading this piece, we will discuss the composition of a “typical”
graduation speech. I will ask students to generate a list on the board of
specific characteristics as well as typical vocabulary that might be found in a
graduation-type speech. I will then ask students to examine this list and
determine which elements might most
easily lend themselves to ridicule.
3.
After
students have read “My speech to the Graduates” we will analyze specific
elements of Allen’s humor using specific questions to guide the discussion.
·
What typical devices of a graduation
speech are ridiculed here? How does this essay compare to ones you have heard,
given the list we developed?
·
What serious aspects of society are
dealt with in a humorous way?
·
What is Allen’s purpose for writing
this piece? Is it merely to satirize aspects of human existence, or is he simply
creating a parody of the traditional graduation speech?
·
Discuss the specific lines of this
piece that strike you as exceptionally funny.
4.
In
an effort to reinforce the concept of a parody, students will generate a list of
topics that would be suitable for the writing of a parody.
Students will then choose a topic and write a humorous parody.
As a result of this unit, students will
·
Identify elements of humor in a quiz on
the Allen essay.
·
Create an original parody.
Lesson
4 The Grass is Always Greener
over the Septic Tank Erma
Bombeck
Selections to be studied:
“Staking Out a Claim”
“Barbie and Ken”
“Ya, Got Trouble”
“Wanda Wentworth, School Bus Driver”
Erma Bombeck was a well-known humorist
who wrote for over 600 newspapers until her death in 1996. In this collection of
essays, the American dream of owning a home in the suburbs is satirized. In the
particular sections chosen, other aspects of the American dream – the ideas of
family, the concept of physical beauty, and material possessions – are also
satirized.
Objectives
·
Students will begin
to appreciate the genre of humor is a variety of writings.
·
Students will
recognize the shortcomings of the American dream.
·
Students will
understand the concepts of satire.
Activities
1.
To begin this unit, I will share with students the definition
of satire through modern day examples.
2.
After students have read the essays, the class will engage in
a discussion based on the following responses:
·
What elements of
American life are satirized in Bombeck’s writing? In what ways is life
satirized?
·
Which problems are
ones that still cause difficulties today?
·
What, if any, are the
“new frontiers” in the year 2002?
·
Discuss some of the
ideals that Erma Bombeck values.
·
Are the concepts
Bombeck discusses set is stone? Is anything changeable?
3.
Students will be asked to discuss, comparatively, the manner
in which Bombeck views the American Dream and the way Miller and Fitzgerald have
illustrated this idea.
Evaluation
As a result of this
unit, students will
·
articulate their own
attitudes about the American dream.
·
create a paper of
comparison analyzing the perspectives of the American dream from different
writers.
Lesson 5 - “The
Devil and Tom Walker” Washington
Irving and
“The Devil and Daniel Webster” Stephen
Vincent Benet
Synopsis
These stories have similar elements.
Both make use of dialect, use the devil as the embodiment of evil, stress the
importance of the New England setting, and the show the devil involved with the
life of the whole community. This concept will not be new to students because of
their study of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The
Crucible by Arthur Miller. There
are both humorous selections, but each has an underlying seriousness
demonstrated through the use of irony, satire and criticism.
Objectives
·
Students will
understand the concepts of irony, satire and caricature.
·
Students will realize
the importance of dialect in each selection.
·
Students will analyze
and discuss the concept of decision and free choice.
·
Students will relate
historical events to the selections.
Activities
Prior to reading each
selection, students will be exposed to the most taxing vocabulary words. These
words and their definitions will be documented in their vocabulary journals.
“The
Devil and Tom Walker”
“The Devil and Daniel Webster”
meager
mastiff
miserly
anthracite
forlorn
gimlets
balked
catamount
termagant
vexed
askance
denunciation
quagmire
reviling
precarious
hewn
avarice
sullen
slough
superfluous
piety
coffers
1.
Students will investigate (in groups) and report about the
real Daniel Webster to draw connections to the piece and historical fact.
2.
Students may list the historical references and American
traditions found in “The Devil and Daniel Webster.”
3.
Compare, in a discussion, the use of the devil in these
selections, to the Puritan concept of the devil and to modern ideas as well.
4.
Students can compare and contrast the use of dialect in each
passage.
5.
Students will discuss whether Tom and Jabey should have made
their pact with the devil.
Evaluation
As a result of this
unit, students will
·
write an essay in
which they compare the two selections.
·
identify three
specific examples each of satire, irony and dialect from the passages on an
exam.
Lesson 6 – I Ought to Be in Pictures
Neil Simon
Synopsis
Libby Tucker, a high-spirited
adolescent, travels across the country from New York City to Los Angeles under
the guise that she would like to be in film.
Her real desire, however, is to meet her father, Herb Tucker, who left
the family sixteen years prior. Libby
has always idolized her father, somewhat secretly. When she arrives in LA she
finds her father to be a less then successful Hollywood writer. This is a play about uncommitted individuals who move towards
commitment through the eventual understanding and realization of unique and rare
relationships.
Objectives
·
Students will
identify the characteristics of comedy found in Neil Simon’s play.
·
Students will
evaluate the relationships as portrayed in this drama.
·
Students will
recognize the play as a statement of the contemporary human condition.
·
Students will define
the elements of humor, irony, sarcasm, and apply this knowledge to a discussion
of the play.
Activities
1.
It is important for students to be active participants in the
study of this piece. Therefore, students will be asked to read this play aloud.
This will also help to share the humor of the play.
2.
In small groups, students will be asked to select a
particular scene to memorize and dramatize before the class.
3.
Students will engage in a class discussion based on the
following questions;
·
Explain why Libby
travels to LA to find her father. What does this trek tell you about this
character?
·
Discuss Libby’s
life prior to leaving for the West Coast.
·
Describe Herb’s
existence.
·
What role does Steffy
play in this drama?
·
How and why does the
relationship between Herb and Libby develop?
·
Explain the reason(s)
for Libby’s return to New York.
·
Discuss the evolution
of each character through the play.
·
Discuss the elements
of humor that Simon incorporates in this piece.
4.
To bring closure to the study of Simon’s work, students
will be asked to read an additional piece by the playwright. It will be there
task to develop a presentation in which they use excepts from these two plays to
demonstrate a commonality in Simon’s work.
5.
If time permits, we will view the film “Ought to be in
Pictures.”
Evaluation
As a result of this
unit, students will:
·
prepare a
dramatization of a particular scene from the play.
· Understand and express through writing a commonality that exists in Simon’s work that displays the dilemmas of modern man.
RESOURCES
Works Cited/ Teacher Reading List
Allen, Woody. Side
Effects. Jacksonville, IL:
Perma-Bound, Hertzberg New Method, Inc.
This book contains several Allen essays including “The
Kugelmass Episode” and “My
Speech to the Graduates”. There
is also an outstanding biography and Allen writes the introduction.
American Humor. Greenhaven
Press Companion to Literary Movements and Genres. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven
Press, 2000.
This compilation includes several essays written by American writers during
the Great Depression.
Audrieth, Anthony L. The
Art of Using Humor. http://www.squaresail.com/auh.html
This website is devouted to the art of using humor in public speaking but
contains some interesting perspectives on the philosophy of humor. The author
provides an immense amount of information regarding the history of humor as
well.
Aristotle. Poetics.
Ed. D. W. Lucas. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1968.
The
original, Aristotle's short study of storytelling, written in the fourth century
B.C., is the world's first critical book about the laws of literature. The text
contains information that is useful to students when examining critical terms
associated with comedy and tragedy.
Bombeck, Erma. The
Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank. Jacksonville, IL: Perma-Bound, Hertzberg New Method, Inc.
1968.
This timeless classic still evokes humor. Though some things have changed,
many of Bombeck’s witty remarks and satirical perspectives are timeless. This
compilation contains “Staking
Out a Claim”,“Barbie and Ken”, “Ya, Got Trouble” and “Wanda
Wentworth, School Bus Driver”.
Eastman, Max. Enjoyment of Laughter.
New York, Simon & Schuster, 1936
A piece describing the psychological effects of humor as they pertain to
stand-up comedians.
Epstein, Lawrence J. (Lawrence
Jeffrey). The Haunted Smile: the Story of Jewish Comedians in America. 1st
ed. New York, NY: Public Affairs, 2001.
This piece contains a series of biographical sketches about Jewish comedians of
the 19th and 20th century. The most interesting and
applicable is the section detailing the rise of Woody Allen and Neil Simon.
As a
dictionary of terms, this text provides a vast amount of information regarding
critical terms associated with comedy.
Hansbury, Lorraine.
To Be Young, Gifted and Black. New York, NY: Signet Classics, New
American Library, Inc., 1975.
In her
autobiography, Hansbury details the story of her life as an African American
women playwright. The unique style of narration provides a comic interlude for
the reader.
Hughes, Langston. The
Best of Simple. New York, NY: Hill and Weng, Farrar, Straus and Giroux,1961.
Hughes
provides a comic tale of a character named Simple and his strange but oddly common sense philosphies about just about everything
from feet to cops to women.
Simon, Neil. I
Ought to Be in Pictures. New York: Random House, 1981
This play is
a coming of age tale about a young girl and her trek from New York City to Los
Angeles in search of her absentee father.
A collection of essays, short stories and prose demonstrating Twain’s use
of satire, parody, farce and comedy.
O'Daniel, Therman B. Langston Hughes, Black Genius: A Critical Evaluation.
For the College Language Association. New York: Wm. Morrow & Co., 1971, 65
ff. p 171. p. 180.
This essay provides information in an effort to better understand Hughes as a
comedic writer. So often familiarity with this writer only exists in reference
to his poetry. This essay examines the writer as a true comic genius.
Watkins, Melvin. On the Read Side: A
History of African American Comedy. Chicago, IL: Lawrence Hill Books. 1999.
This piece provides a detailed lineage of African American comedic
performers. Profiles are provided for characters of film, stand-up and
television. This piece is useful to reproduce and distribute to students.
West, Michael. Transcendental Word
Play: American’s Romantic Punsters and the Search for the Language of
Nature. Athens: Ohio University Press, 2000.
An excellent resource for teaching students about farce parody in language.
Works Cited/ Student Reading List
Allen, Woody. Side
Effects. Jacksonville, IL:
Perma-Bound, Hertzberg New Method, Inc.
This book contains several Allen essays including “The
Kugelmass Episode” and “My
Speech to the Graduates”. There
is also an outstanding biography and Allen writes the introduction.
Bombeck, Erma. The
Grass is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank. Jacksonville, IL: Perma-Bound, Hertzberg New Method, Inc.
1968.
This
timeless classic still evokes humor. Though some things have changed, many of
Bombeck’s witty remarks and satirical perspectives are timeless. This
compilation contains “Staking
Out a Claim”,“Barbie and Ken”, “Ya, Got Trouble” and “Wanda
Wentworth, School Bus Driver”.
Hansbury, Lorraine.
To Be Young, Gifted and Black. New York, NY: Signet Classics, New
American Library, Inc., 1975.
In her
autobiography, Hansbury details the story of her life as an African American
women playwright. The unique style of narration provides a comic interlude for
the reader.
Hughes, Langston. The
Best of Simple. New York, NY: Hill and Weng, Farrar, Straus and Giroux,1961.
Hughes
provides a comic tale of a character named Simple and his strange but oddly common sense philosophies about just about everything
from feet to cops to women.
Simon, Neil. I
Ought to Be in Pictures. New York: Random House, 1981
This play is
a coming of age tale about a young girl and her trek from New York City to Los
Angeles in search of her absentee father.
Twain, Mark. The
Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain. New York, NY: Bantam Books, Doubleday
and Company, Inc., 1958.
A collection of
essays, short stories and prose demonstrating Twain’s use of satire, parody,
farce and comedy.
Pennsylvania
Content Standards for Communications:
Reading,
Writing, Listening, Speaking
1.
All
students use effective research and information management skills, including
locating primary and secondary sources of information with traditional and
emerging library technologies.