Humour

 

Humour

Humour is one of the most delightful and effective elements in literature. It refers to the quality of a work that makes the reader or audience smile, laugh, or feel amused. But humour is not just about making people laugh; it often has a deeper purpose. It can be used to point out the foolishness, weaknesses, or contradictions in human nature and society. In literature, humour lightens serious situations, provides relief, and often helps writers present truth in an attractive way.

The word humour originally came from the Latin word humor, meaning “fluid” or “moisture.” In medieval medicine, it was believed that human behaviour depended on the balance of four bodily fluids, called “humours”. A balanced mixture produced a good-tempered person, while an imbalance led to anger, sadness, or foolishness.

Purpose and Function of Humour

Humour serves many purposes in literature. Its most obvious function is entertainment. However, humour often has a deeper social or moral purpose. Writers use humour to criticise society, to expose the hypocrisy of individuals, or to comment on moral and political issues. By making people laugh, authors can make them think without causing direct offence. This is why humour has always been a powerful literary tool.

For example, in satire, humour is used to ridicule or criticise human behaviour and institutions. Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels and George Orwell’s Animal Farm use humorous exaggeration and irony to attack social and political corruption. Similarly, Charles Dickens in David Copperfield uses gentle humour to criticise the evils of industrial society.

Forms and Techniques of Humour

There are several forms and techniques of humour found in literature:

1. Verbal Humour – It comes from clever use of language, such as puns, wordplay, and witty remarks. Shakespeare’s plays are full of this kind of humour.
2. Situational Humour – This type arises from funny or unexpected events and coincidences. In ‘Comedy of Errors’, for instance, characters get into humorous situations because of mistaken identities.
3. Character-based Humour – Some characters themselves are funny because of their habits, speech, or behaviour. Shakespeare’s ‘Falstaff’ or ‘Nick Bottom’ are famous examples of comic characters.
4. Satirical Humour – This kind of humour has a moral aim. It mocks human vices, foolishness, or social injustice through exaggeration and irony. Writers like Swift, and Pope used this form.

Humour Across Literary Periods

During the Elizabethan age, Shakespeare combined humour and seriousness in his plays, creating a balance between laughter and tragedy. The Restoration period (17th century) gave rise to witty comedies of manners by writers like William Congreve and Richard Sheridan, which mocked the fashionable society of London.

In the Victorian era, humour became a tool for social criticism. Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, and Oscar Wilde used humour to expose the hypocrisy and pretensions of society. In the 20th century, writers such as P.G. Wodehouse created pure comedy through amusing characters and absurd situations, while others like George Bernard Shaw used humour to make serious social points.

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