Reference Resources
This comprehensive resource contains authoritative entries about comedy through different points in history, different comedic styles, humor theories, as well as entries about common subjects of comedy. The resource is extremely user-friendly, offering a variety of search techniques for users, including an alphabetical listing of entries, a subject index, and the ability to search by keyword. The encyclopedia takes an interdisciplinary approach in its exploration of the topic of humor. The resource was published in 2014, so users should be aware that the encyclopedia’s contents may not reflect the most current information about how we consume media contents.
Students who are new to the academic study of comedy will find the comprehensive articles available through this database invaluable. Beginning with an article that provides an overview of the history of stand-up comedy, readers can article-hop by clicking on links to entries about the political events referenced in groundbreaking comedy routines, such as the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War. This online encyclopedia also contains biographical articles about hundreds of prominent stand-up comedians.
A Dictionary of Media and Communication
This reference resource will introduce students to a number of terms pertinent to their pursuit of comedy studies. Specifically, the dictionary contains entries on comedy itself, different genres of comedy found in film and television, as well as entries for different comedic techniques. This work provides definitions for the terms necessary to discuss stand-up comedy through a critical and analytical lens. Published in 2020, the work contains a collection of fairly current entires, including such modern terms as social media celebrity, fake news, clicktivism, and more.
Comedy Books
Comedy Book: How Comedy Conquered Culture -- and the Magic That Makes It Work
In his book, Fox provides a history of stand-up comedy in the United States over the past thirty years, and discusses the art form as a societal tool that can be used to foster empathy, process tragedy, and make meaning of the world around us. He provides the reader with insights about how issues of race, gender, mental health, and politics are communicated via stand-up comedy, and analyzes comedy as social commentary through the lens of play theory. While Fox’s narrative style results in a book that can be read cover to cover, students will appreciate the book’s index pointing them directly to topics of interest.
All Joking Aside: American Humor and Its Discontents - Krefting
Krefting is an American Studies scholar, as well as a stand-up comedian. In her book, she provides an overview of the history of stand-up comedy in the twentieth century, and introduces the concept of “charged humor,” which she then situates in the political climate of the twenty first century. Krefting argues that charged humor can enact cultural citizenship, and explores how the fine arts, comedy in particular, can influence one’s sense of self. The book acknowledges charged humor as a tool that can be use to empower the historically disenfranchised, and foster a sense of national belonging.
Laughing Matters: Understanding Film, Television and Radio Comedy
In their book, Mundy and White argue that comedy as an art form bears social, psychological, and cultural significance, making it necessary to engage in critical analysis of the medium. Further, they explore the widespread availability of comedy through a variety of forms of mass media. While the authors explicitly state that stand-up comedy is not a central focus of the work, students will appreciate Part II of the book, which focuses on the themes and impacts of comedy, specifically addressing gender and sexuality, race, and ethnicity. Of particular note, the book includes an appendix with advice on how to write an undergraduate essay about comedy in film, television, or radio.