Serious Comedy

When I said I thought the Irish punched above their weight in the literary arena, I mentioned playwrights and poets, but somehow neglected to mention stand up comics. This was because comedy, whether in novel form or stand up, just isn't considered serious literature (no pun intended) by a lot of critics. Fuck a lot of critics. I know a lot of stand up is just cocking about on stage, but you do get a lot of brilliant stuff as well. And not just brilliant in terms of jokes and wordsmithy, but also in terms of social insight. The same holds true for humorous novels. Is it even possible, come to think of it, to write sustained and great comedy without commenting on social or philosophical issues!?! Take Pratchett for instance. One of the funniest authors alive. He highlights social issues with the same brilliance with which he writes gags - and that is no surprise as so much of the humour stems from social absurdities. Even a "pure" comic author like Wodehouse - who claimed to have no moral message in his novels whatsoever - derived considerable humour by pulling the legs of the various English classes - a gentle commentary on society perhaps, but a commentary nonetheless. However, neither author will ever be considered a true "literary great" by the formal establishment twats. Why!?! Why is comedy treated as literature's pariah!?!

Unlike novels however, plays do seem to get respected even if they are funny. Great comic plays and playwrights enjoy immense respect - in the formal sense of the word. Indeed, the greatest playwrights through the ages - Sheridan, Wilde, Shaw - all excelled at witty comedies. Shakespeare himself wrote many comedies - and I have been told in his day, they were considered properly funny. I wonder how playwrights managed to keep comedy within the realm of "serious literature".