Creative Prompt #357: Joke

I couldn’t resist. It is a difficult prompt, but it was too perfect a day not to use it.

Definition: “A joke is a display of humour in which words are used within a specific and well-defined narrative structure to make people laugh. It takes the form of a story, usually with dialogue, and ends in a punch line. It is in the punch line that the audience becomes aware that the story contains a second, conflicting meaning. This can be done using a pun or other word play such as irony, a logical incompatibility, nonsense or other means. Linguist Robert Hetzron offers the definition:

“A joke is a short humorous piece of oral literature in which the funniness culminates in the final sentence, called the punchline… In fact, the main condition is that the tension should reach its highest level at the very end. No continuation relieving the tension should be added. As for its being “oral,” it is true that jokes may appear printed, but when further transferred, there is no obligation to reproduce the text verbatim, as in the case of poetry.”[1]

A good joke is succinct, containing no more detail than is needed to set the scene for the punchline at the end. In the case of riddle jokes or one-liners the setting is implicitly understood, leaving only the dialogue and punchline to be verbalized. Identified as one of the simple forms of oral literature by the Dutch linguist André Jolles,[2] jokes are passed along anonymously. They are told in both private and public settings; a single person tells a joke to his friend in the natural flow of conversation, or a set of jokes is told to a group as part of scripted entertainment. Jokes are also passed along in written form or—more recently—through electronic messaging systems. Internet joking has indeed become a major method of transmission. Either as written narratives or graphic cartoons, jokes are sent through email to friends and acquaintances; individuals joking with each other in a physical space have been replaced here by electronic social groups. This correlates with the new understanding of the internet as an “active folkloric space” with evolving social and cultural forces and clearly identifiable performers and audiences.[3] Along with individual transmission of jokes to email contacts, internet services are also available to provide a fresh joke-a-day to your email inbox or archive joke collections on electronic bulletin boards.

Jokes are a form of humour, but not all humour is a joke. Some humorous forms which are not jokes are: involuntary humour, situational humour, practical jokes, slapstick, and anecdotes. All of these are humorous, but none of them is a verbal joke. The Shaggy dog story is in a class of its own as an anti-joke; although presenting as a joke, it contains a long drawn-out narrative of time, place and character, rambles through many pointless inclusions and finally fails to deliver a punchline. Also, humour which is generated through performance can be funny but is not considered a joke. For the joke by definition contains the humour in the words (usually the punchline), not in the delivery. Stand-up comics, comedians and slapstick work with comic timing, precision and rhythm in their performance, relying as much on actions as on the verbal punchline to evoke laughter. This distinction has been formulated in the popular saying “A comic says funny things; a comedian says things funny”.[note 1] This article concerns itself only with verbal jokes, leaving performance comedy aside.” (Wikipedia)

Joke of the Day

tell a joke

One Piece: Captain Joke was the captain of a crew that reached the Ocean’s Naval ten years before the current storyline

Joke Jockey: Humor from the 30’s, 40’s 50’s 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, Infinity and Beyond!

Long Jokes

humor

Church Jokes

in-joke

Knock Knock Jokes

one liners

Blonde jokes

joke gifts

adult jokes

Anti Jokes (or Anti Humor) is a type of comedy in which the uses is set up to expect a typical joke setup however the joke ends with such anticlimax that it becomes funny in its own right. The lack of punchline is the punchline.

yo mama jokes

redneck jokes

lawyer jokes

animal jokes

sports jokes

relationship jokes

Post the direct URL (link) where your drawing, doodle, artwork is posted (e.g. your blog, Flickr) in the comments area of this post. I would really like to keep all the artwork together and provide a way for others to see your work and get familiar with your blog or website.

The Creative Prompt Project, also, has a Flickr group, which you can join to  post your responses. I created this spot so those of you without blogs and websites would have a place to post your responses.

We are also talking about this on Twitter and Instagram. Use the hashtag #CPP