Humorinamerica

LATEST ARTICLES ( 325 )

• Humor in a Sonnet’s Essence

  A friend and I have been puzzling about whether sonnets are, by nature of their form and conventions, essentially funny poems. Popular views of the sonnet are... Read more

  Posted on 19 August 2015 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• Late-night Talk Shows (or What Keeps Me up at Night)

  

  Goodbye Jon Stewart... or goodbye Daily Show... or goodbye Jon Stewart's Daily Show... would have liked to hear him talk about the first Republican... Read more

  Posted on 06 August 2015 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• The Etymology of “Google” is a Comedy of Errors

  

  "Google" has an interesting etymology. By definition, "googol" is 1 followed by 100 zeroes. The name was chosen by a nine-year old boy by the name of Milton... Read more

  Posted on 04 August 2015 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• The Onion and How Comedy Deals with Tragedy (Or Not)

  

  ::Summer vacation from new posts continues. Two weeks or so until new content, but enjoy this one, which seems somehow fitting for the tragic year it seems to... Read more

  Posted on 21 July 2015 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• Packaging the Presidency, with Laughter

  Even though it is still some 16 months to the 2016 presidential elections the campaign is already well under way with most candidates officially declared as... Read more

  Posted on 07 July 2015 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• Remembering John Crowe Ransom

  

  John Crowe Ransom April 30, 1888 – July 3, 1974This distinguished thinker from Pulaski, Tennessee was a poet, essayist, editor, and professor known for both... Read more

  Posted on 03 July 2015 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• Rainbows and Hippies: Humorous Responses to the Supreme Court’s Same-Sex Marriag...

  

  Tracy Wuster Several years ago, we posted a collection of humorous responses to President Obama’s change to support gay marriage. Read more

  Posted on 28 June 2015 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• Jack Kerouac’s American Haiku

  

  Rue Gît le Coeur: street where lies the heart. On a tiny street in Paris, about a quarter of the length of a New York City block and just a little wider than a... Read more

  Posted on 15 June 2015 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• John Oliver, FIFA, American Humor, and Topic Sentences

  

  John Oliver got rid of Sepp Blatter. That would be a bold statement if I cared at all about Sepp Blatter or FIFA. I do not. I do care, however, about John... Read more

  Posted on 04 June 2015 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• Sherman Alexie’s Survival Humor Turns “Legal”

  Some days you just have two choices. You can laugh, or you can cry. Both of these actions define us as human beings. While crying can be cathartic, laughing is... Read more

  Posted on 31 May 2015 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• Who Invented the Rube Goldberg Invention?

  

  The Rube Goldberg invention is a complex device that achieves a simple objective. Entering the American lexicon in 1931, it defines the adjective “Rube... Read more

  Posted on 25 May 2015 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• The King is Gone

  

  In my inaugural post for this website I discussed the subtle humor of the blues, and how that humor helps to give the blues its healing power. Read more

  Posted on 21 May 2015 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• Call for Papers: “Is American Satire Still in a Postmodern Condition?”

  

  Special issue on contemporary satire for Studies in American Humor (Fall 2016), James E. Caron(University of Hawaii—Manoa), Guest Editor; Judith Yaross Lee (Ohi... Read more

  Posted on 15 May 2015 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• On the 70th Anniversary of Germany’s Surrender

  

  Today, May 7, 2015 is the 70th Anniversary of Germany’s Surrender. In the context of Humor in America, I feel it’s appropriate to mark the occasion with a revie... Read more

  Posted on 07 May 2015 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• In the Archives: “Yankeeana” from the London and Westminster Review (1838)

  Originally posted on Humor in America: Tracy Wuster Much of the writing on the subject of “American humor” in the nineteenth century–when the idea of a... Read more

  Posted on 06 May 2015 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• Nerd Prom and Presidential Humor

  

  Last Saturday the Washington glitterati gathered at the Washington Hilton for what has become a major political event; the White House Correspondent’s Dinner. Read more

  Posted on 27 April 2015 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• Columbia College Degree in Comedy Writing and Performance Announces National...

  Anne Libera Columbia College Chicago is hiring two full time lecturer positions to serve its rapidly growing B.A. in Comedy Writing and Performing. Read more

  Posted on 23 April 2015 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• Murder and Blueberry Pies: Shel Silverstein as Songwriter

  

  ::Matt Powell is on break this month. Please enjoy this selection of his fine writing. Originally posted on Humor in America: Gather ‘round fellows I’ll tell yo... Read more

  Posted on 20 April 2015 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• Eddie Murphy Awarded Mark Twain Prize for American Humor

  

  Tracy Wuster Every year since 1998, the Kennedy Center has awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor to some of the greats of American Humor–and also Lorn... Read more

  Posted on 16 April 2015 HUMOR, SOCIETY

• In the Archives: Mark Twain’s “A Presidential Candidate” (1879)

  

  ::With all the contenders throwing their hats in the presidential ring, it is refreshing to have a honest and serious candidate to consider… Originally posted o... Read more

  Posted on 13 April 2015 HUMOR, SOCIETY