STEP BY STEP
TO STAND-UP COMEDY
CHAPTER ONE
The Secrets
of Joke Structure
Interestingly enough, people usually
recognize a joke whether it makes them laugh or not. Why? Because
there is some consistent, intrinsic structure that everyone
identifies as a joke. Until now, no one has presented this structure
in an understandable manner--but that just changed. Explaining joke
structure to you is exactly what this chapter is all about.
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
The Secrets
of Joke Structure
SETUP AND
PUNCH
WHAT A JOKE DOES: Expectation and Surprise
HOW A JOKE WORKS: 1st Story and 2nd Story
THE THREE MECHANISMS OF JOKE STRUCTURE
TARGET ASSUMPTION and
REINTERPRETATION: Two
Interpretations of One Thing
JOKES WITH SETUPS
JOKES WITHOUT SETUPS
JOKES WITH PUNCHES
JOKES WITHOUT PUNCHES
CONNECTOR: One Thing Interpreted in
Two Ways
SAMPLE
The Secrets
of Joke Structure
Secret #1: A joke requires two
story lines.
The
setup of a joke creates a
1st story in our minds that leads
us to expect something; then the
punch surprises us with a
2nd story that's compatible with,
yet different from, what we're expecting. For example, imagine a
male comic, appearing to be completely grief-stricken, telling this
joke:
(SADLY) "My wife just ran off with my best friend. Boy, do I miss
him."
The 1st story leads us to assume that the speaker is unhappy because
he misses his wife. We expect the story to expand on that theme, so
we're surprised when the 2nd story reveals that he's unhappy because
he misses his buddy.
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