For Next Week: Bevis, Comedy: A Very Short Introduction, Chapters 1-2 (and questions below)

For next Tuesday/Thursday's class (depending on your in-class day), read Bevis, Chapters 1-2 and answer TWO of the following questions in a few sentences, or a short pararaph, each. Try not to just give me a yes-or-no answer, or a vague, 'nothing' answer. Think about the implications of each question and try to give a thoughtful, honest response, even if you're not entirely sure what the answer is. 

Bring these responses to class with you next week. You'll hand them in after class.

Q1: Why does Antiphanes claim that "tragedy is a cushy art," whereas comedians "have to invent everything" (9)? What makes comedy so much more difficult to create and stage for an audience? 

Q2: I used this quote in your syllabus, and really think it's an important one: what does Bevis mean when he writes "Comedy involves the construction of a creation myth you can live with" (14)? 

Q3: Why is comedy more "dangerous" than tragedy? What is the secret thrill of watching a comedy, and related to this, what can comedy do to an audience that a tragedy, perhaps, cannot? What makes it more socially subversive? 

Q4: Bevis reminds us that "the comic cannot exist without sensousness'; the comic writer 'fastens our mind upon physical detail'" (21). Why is the body such a source of humor for audiences? Why do we need to be reminded of it--as well as the sensations relating to it--to achieve comedy?

Q5: The word wit comes from the root "witan," which means "to know." How does this tie into the purpose of comedy as discussed in Chapter 1? Do you think this is still true today? Does comedy teach us "to know"?