Funny How

What makes something funny? This book shows how humor can be analyzed without killing the joke. Alex Clayton argues that the brevity of a sketch or skit and its typical rejection of narrative development make it comedy-concentrate, providing a rich field for exploring how humor works. Focusing on a dozen or so skits and scenes, Clayton shows precisely how sketch comedy appeals to the funny bone and engages our philosophical imagination. He suggests that since humor is about persuading an audience to laugh, it can be understood as a form of rhetoric. Through vivid, highly readable analyses of individual sketches, Clayton illustrates that Aristotle's three forms of appeal—logos, the appeal to reason; ethos, the appeal to communality; and pathos, the appeal to emotion—can form the basis for illuminating the inner workings of humor. Drawing on both popular and lesser-known examples from the United States, United Kingdom, and elsewhere—Monty Python's Flying Circus, Key and Peele, Saturday Night Live, Airplane!, and Smack the Pony—Clayton reveals the techniques and resonances of humor.

"An inside glimpse of one woman's personal journey with cancer seen through a series of letters written to her daughter"--Back cover

Part biography, part memoir, all brilliantly written, 'Funny How Things Turn Out' chronicles the long, long life of Muriel Newmarch and her daughter.

Remy Walker has it all: he found the love of his life at home in crumbling little Dwyer, West Virginia, deep in his beloved Appalachian Mountains where his family settled more than one hundred and sixty years ago. But at seventeen, you're not supposed to already be where you want to be, right? You've got a whole world to make your way through, and you start by leaving your dead-end town. Like his girlfriend, Lisa. Lisa's going away to college. If Remy goes with her, it would be the start of everything they ever dreamed of. So when a fascinating young artist from out of state shows Remy his home through new eyes, why is he suddenly questioning his future? The author vividly depicts a rich and beautiful place in this powerful novel about a young man who, over the course of a summer, learns how much he has to give up for a girl, and how much he needs to give up for a mountain.

This is the story of Chris Pownall¿s life beginning from early childhood to retirement. Chris¿ autobiography is unique because he tells his story with a slant towards the more hilarious side of his life. Chris has always had a reputation for being there when things were going wrong¿but it¿s nothing to do with him really! His former work colleagues will bear witness to situations involving freak weather conditions and disrupted travelling arrangements. His sense of humour has seen him through many difficult situations¿which he managed to salvage with wit and discretion.Chris enjoys humour and receives great satisfaction in giving others a reason to laugh. His fifty years of continuous employment gave him great fulfilment and provided amazing opportunities for travel and experience of many industries and cultures which he shares in this account. Chris has been privileged to work with some highly capable and interesting people; not all are referred to in this book but this autobiography focuses upon those with whom Chris worked more closely and had the most fun. Despite all the self-effacing humour, the author has a serious side which has driven his search for knowledge at the forefront of sealing technology. As you read these stories the author hopes that these yarns no matter how unbelievable some may seem, will not cause offence, as they are not intended to, but will bring a smile to your face as you share in the humour of his hilarious and not so hilarious past!

Ready or not...it's time to grow up! An eleven-year-old can have her share of problems. Libby Stokes's best friends don't understand her anymore. All they want to do is talk about parties and boys. Her mother has taken a sudden interest in trying to run Libby's life, and worst of all, her grandmother, the person Libby has always counted on most, is moving away. It's enough to make a tomboy want to climb a tree and hide! Libby does try hiding by running away. But she soon discovers that she can't run away from the changes that time brings.

The author's goal is to help you learn to think funny every day.