Exam: theories of comedy
July 12, 2007

Part I (1-15): Answer each question. No discussion needed: each question can be answered in no more than a few words.

1. Aristotle refers to comedy as “a mimesis.” The usual translation (used in our readings) of the Greek word mimesis is _______________.

2. Aristotle included a sociological prescription for comic characters by saying that comedy is “mimesis of _______________.”

3. Elder Olson’s theory is based on Aristotle, but he emphasizes that the subject of comedy must be, or must be treated as if it is, _______________.

4. Of the three basic ingredients of literature—plot (storyline), character, and thought (theme), Aristotle believed that the “first” ingredient or starting point was _______________.

5. Plato sees the essence of comedy as “entire ignorance of_______________” or “foolish false_______________.” (fill in either blank)

6. Evanthius uses a common metaphor for the mimetic when he says that “comedy is the _______________ of everyday life.”

7. Geoff King says that comedy is a mode rather than a _______________.

8. Dante says that comedy typically uses a plot that begins with _______________ and ends with _______________. (fill in both blanks)

9. Katastasis is the equivalent in comedy of _______________ in tragedy

10. One of Mast’s comic structures involves taking a simple action or issue and “magnifying” or exaggerating it to the point of absurdity. He names this structure with a term from logic: _______________.

11. Of Gerald Mast’s eight basic comic plot types, which, according to Mast, is unique to film comedy? _______________.

12. Gerald Mast discusses the difference between silent comedy and sound comedy. His basic point is that sound comedy emphasizes “structure and style,” while silent comedy emphasizes “_______________.”

13. In Sullivan’s Travels, the main character makes a speech about comedy at the start of the movie and another speech about comedy at the end of the movie. According to Gerald Mast, the contrast between these two speeches places the movie into which of the basic comic plot forms? _______________.

14. Rhetorical theories of art emphasize the relationship between the work and the _______________.

15. One source of laughter, according to T.G.A. Nelson, is “psychic release.” What causes the relief? In other words, what are we relieved about? _______________.


Part II (16-25): Write a definition of each term. One precise sentence will be enough in each case. Discussion or examples are not required. You do not have to indicate the theorist or critic associated with a term, though it is good to include that if you know it.

16. bisociation
17. sprezzatura
18. mode
19. riffing
20. farce
21. schadenfreude
22. iconoclasm
23. liminal figures
24. cinema of attractions
25. picaresque


Part III (26-33). Answer each of these questions briefly but precisely. One sentence to a short paragraph will be enough.

26. Plato says that one requirement for a comic character is “incapacity to be revenged on a scoffer.” What does he mean by this, and why is this characteristic necessary if we are to regard the character as comic?

27. For Gerald Mast, what is the essential difference between ironic comedy and implied comedy, considered from the perspective of the audience?

28. The philosopher Wittgenstein saw comedy as parallel to games or sports. What, in his theory, is the essential similarity between comedy and games? (The answer is not “fun.”

29. Mikhail Bakhtin makes a distinction between carnival laughter and satiric laughter. What, according to him, is the fundamental difference between these?

30. Several theorists mention humorous characters as an essential element of comedy. Humorous characters have been found in drama and literature for centuries. What distinguishes a humorous character from other characters? (The answer is not “humor,” “funny” or “comical.”)

31. In discussing “comic climate,” Mast gives as one sign that a movie is a comedy: “any hint of artistic self-consciousness.” As an example he gives the opening of Trouble in Paradise. Explain what Mast means, using this or another example.

32. What does Mikhail Bakhtin mean by the “two-world condition”? Are the two worlds compatible? Why or why not?

33. Buster Keaton’s Sherlock Jr. is, among other things, a meta-film. What does meta- indicate when prefixed to an artistic form? If you can, give another example of a meta-filmic device from our course.