商品簡介
Dan O'Shannon (former writer and producer of Cheers, Fraiser, and Modern Family) presents a theory of humor and guide to creating comedy. He argues that comedy is an experience with its own structures that we can discern and even manipulate to create intended or innovative effects in audiences. To this end, O'Shannon employs many diagrams and tables to illustrate the different elements of comedy, which in the end he also argues should not be seen as taking the magic out of it. He draws on comedic examples from many different eras and genres, insisting that it's enough if an event or experience was funny for someone. After an overview of past theories of comedy and what he means by the comedic event, he identifies elements step-by-step such as the receiver, the comedic frame of mind, elements of communication, vehicles, comedic information, incongruity in joke construction, cognitive processes, comedy and entropy, and practical jokes. An appendix of charts and diagrams modeling aspects of comedic communication/set-up appears in the back. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
作者簡介
Dan O'Shannon is currently co-executive producer for the ABC show Modern Family, previously working on other Emmy nominated shows such as Frasier and Cheers. O'Shannon has also lectured in classes at UCLA, USC, and taught a course on writing at Cleveland State University, where he holds an honorary doctorate.
