What about the notion that "if you have to explain a joke" -- or, in this case, humor in general -- "it's not funny"? Looking forward to picking this up to answer, at least in part, that age-old question.

1 like · like
5 years ago
1 answer

To answer questions about The Humor Code: A Global Search for What Makes Things Funny, please sign up.

Angela Penrose I think that comes mainly from the idea that humor is based on shared references. If you don't share the references, you won't get the joke. In a way, all jokes are "inside jokes;" it's just that some jokes bang off of universal human experiences, so everyone is a member of the in group. A trout wouldn't laugh at a slipping-on-a-banana-peel joke, because there's nothing in their own frame of reference to match it.

flag

About Goodreads Q&A

Ask and answer questions about books!

You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.

See Featured Authors Answering Questions

Learn more