The perfect joke: art of telling and cultural hurdles!

The perfect joke: art of telling and cultural hurdles!

Burgenland, Österreich - On July 1, the day of the joke is celebrated in Austria, an occasion that stimulates us to smile and think. In a recent article by FR.de, the challenge of telling jokes is discussed. The subjective perception of humor plays a central role. The crying under level is seen as a negative for works of art, while laughing under level is far more difficult to create. Interestingly, many people are badly remembered, so that the oldest joke in the world, which is over 4000 years old and deals with subordinate topics, still remains a topic of conversation.

To bring the joke closer, an example from Eva Menasse's novel "Dunkelblum" is quoted: "There are two Burgenländer at the university." Such anecdotes shed light on the funny sides of everyday life and invite you to smile. But behind the laughs there are deeper cultural aspects to discover.

culture and humor

In research, the cultural function of jokes is increasingly being put into the foreground. Lars Koch, literary and media scientist from Dresden, specializes in intercultural humor. In a report on research-und-lehre.de it is mentioned that humor and laughter are anthropological characteristics of being human, which, however, depend heavily on social conditions. Different cultural backgrounds can lead to a joke misunderstood or even perceived as insulting, as can be seen in the caricature dispute.

Globalization accelerates the encounter of different humor cultures and raises questions of how universal humor works. This is often conveyed by gestures and facial expressions - we think of the timeless works by Charlie Chaplin or Mr. Bean. Koch realizes that political humor takes a socially critical function in totalitarian regimes and illuminates grievances. In the GDR, for example, the so -called "Honeckerwitz" served as a valve in pressure situations and left space for resistance.

The influence of humor

Another exciting work is the book "De Gruyter Handbook of Humor Studies", which will be published in 2024, which deals intensively with the topic of humor in different cultures. The authors Jessica Milner Davis and Anastasiya Fiadotava offer deeper insights into the diverse aspects of humor in this manual. Here it becomes clear how much the humor depends on the cultural repertoire, the collective memory and the self -image of a society.

This day shows that American popular culture dominates in the spread of humor. But there are also resistant traditions that maintain subtle humor. For example, Koch criticizes the often clumsy and sexist humor of stars like Mario Barth, who in his opinion has little depth.

Further information and deeper insights can be found at FR.DE, research-und-lehre.de and degegruyter.com.