1. What’s so funny?
Types of Humour

2. Why am I learning this?
Everyday, we laugh at various things. But how often do we stop to think about WHY that thing is funny?
Today’s lesson will introduce you to several types of humour that we, as Westerners, find amusing. The goal: to help you to understand what makes funny things so funny.

3. Anecdotal Humour
A comic, brief personal story that may be true or partly true but embellished to up the “funny factor”
Commonly used in speeches (particularly wedding speeches) to get a laugh
Here’s a comical version of this at play...

4. “Blue” Humour Also called “off-colour” or risque humour
Relies on indecency and impropriety for comic effect
This is the sort of humour that you often find on late-night television and R-rated comedy movies
This is Southpark’s satirical take on the very serious issues of police brutality and White Privilege.
** WARNING ** Content is offensive (that’s kind of how Blue Humour rolls) but it’s offensive for a reason!

5. Burlesque
Ridicules by imitating with caricature (an exaggerated characterization of a person or an institution)
This is the sort of humour we often see on the sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live when comedians imitate a famous person; not a “real life” version of the person, but a caricature
Like this clip of Alec Baldwin’s imitation of Donald Trump
Not this kind of burlesque...
This sort of burlesque!

6. Deadpan/Dry Humour
Humour that is delivered with an impassive, expressionless, matter-of-fact presentation
British comedy troupe Monty Python is famous for this sort of humour (see video posted to the right)
This form of humour is popular in off-beat Sit- Coms like Arrested Development, The Office, and Life in Pieces

7. Hyperbolic
Humour that is grounded in obvious exaggeration and outsized characterization (uses hyperbole)

8. Mordant Humour
Caustic or biting humour

9. Dark/Gallows/Morbid Humour (“Black Comedy”)
Grim or depressing humour dealing with misfortune and/or death & with a pessimisstic outlook
“Top 10 Dark Humour Movies”