American Humor

American Humor

• American humor refers collectively to the conventions（习俗，惯例） and common threads （思路） that tie together humor in the United States.

• It is often defined in comparison to the humor of another country - for example, how it is different from British humor and Canadian humor. It is, however, difficult to say what makes a particular type or subject of humor particularly American. Humor usually concerns aspects of American culture and depends on the historical and current development of the country's culture.

Types of humor• American humor might be distinguished by its most common type

of humor, for example, more slapstick （闹剧 , 趣剧） and physical comedy. There is less emphasis on understatement （保守的陈述，掩饰） , and so the humor tends to be more open; rather than satirizing( 讽刺 ) the social system through exaggeration.

• American humor prefers more observational techniques. However the style of observational humor is very much a staple ( 主要部份；重要内容 )of the American style of humor since it seeks to point out the aspects of American culture and social discourse ( 论述 )which are obvious while at the same time highlighting （突出显示）their ridiculousness.

• This is why American humor tends to be more "obvious" and less oblique( 拐弯抹角的 ; 间接的 ), and can sometimes be considered by other English speaking cultures to be over the top and ridiculous.

Yankee （美国佬）• One leading analysis of American humor, the 1931 book

(American Humor: A Study of the National Character ） by Constance Rourke, identified the character of the “Yankee （美国佬）” as that first American comic figure, the first widely accepted American character that the nation could find funny, make fun of and even export for the amusement of the world.

• Constance Rourke reports that American comedy sprang（涌现） forth after the American Revolution, when the country was “freed from the worry of self preservation（保护） " and its citizens began to regard themselves as "works of art".

What Yankee refers to?

• In the book, Yankee refers to a gangly （一帮 , 一伙） traveler who told stories, played elaborate （精心制作的） practical jokes, was ingenuous （天真无邪的） , sly （狡猾的） , perhaps uneducated.

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Sources• The United States has many diverse groups from which

to draw on for humorous material. The strongest of these influences, during the 20th century at least, has been the influx of Jewish comedians and their corresponding ( 相应的 )Jewish humor, including some of the most influential: The Three Stooges, The Marx Brothers, Rodney Dangerfield, Jackie Mason, Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart, and Lewis Black, just to name a few.

Mark Twain • A candidate for the ‘founding father’ of American

humor is Mark Twain .It should be stated that humorists existed in the United States before Twain, for example Augustus Baldwin Longstreet collection of Southern humor came out when Twain was 5 years old, but Twain is seen as a founding figure in creating an "American voice" to humor.

• Twain remained conscious of his humor‘s relationship with European counterparts, commenting in “ How To Tell A Story ”. The humorous story depends for its effect upon the manner of the telling; the comic story and the witty story upon the matter."

Actually• We can say much more things about American

humor, such as cartoons, magazines ,animation theater , vaudeville radio , recorded, film and television and so on ， but not today.

• Sure we eat what we want, we don’t always do the “right thing”, hell we might not even set the best example.  But one thing is certain, we have a great time doing it. 

• Remember to laugh, even if it’s at yourself.