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Re: Conundrums.
The thing about period humor is that to us folks far removed in time from the era that so fascinates us, it's just not always that...funny. Clever, maybe; interesting, to be sure; but not quite side-splitting.
I collect jokesters and songsters from the different universities that will copy them for me, and when I cull them for usable material, there is usually just a small fraction that will stand a chance of raising a titter in a modern audience.
Of course, that's the way it is with comedy in general, isn't it? I mean, I listen to the average Bob Hope routine, and I'm not rolling on the floor with tears in my eyes. But I'll but my Dad really got a laugh from them once upon a time.
I also imagine that the delivery was vital to so much of the material. And I'm not just talking about the "dialect." So often you see the word "droll" attached to descriptions of the popular comedians. I suspect that period audiences were charmed by a certain "reserve" from a comedian. Clarke Buehling once told me that my delivery should be more "Shakesperian."
I'm rambling here, but I feel that in our quest to truly experience a taste of the mid 19th century through authentic living history, an understanding and familiarity with the humor of the time can be of great assistance.
The thing about period humor is that to us folks far removed in time from the era that so fascinates us, it's just not always that...funny. Clever, maybe; interesting, to be sure; but not quite side-splitting.
I collect jokesters and songsters from the different universities that will copy them for me, and when I cull them for usable material, there is usually just a small fraction that will stand a chance of raising a titter in a modern audience.
Of course, that's the way it is with comedy in general, isn't it? I mean, I listen to the average Bob Hope routine, and I'm not rolling on the floor with tears in my eyes. But I'll but my Dad really got a laugh from them once upon a time.
I also imagine that the delivery was vital to so much of the material. And I'm not just talking about the "dialect." So often you see the word "droll" attached to descriptions of the popular comedians. I suspect that period audiences were charmed by a certain "reserve" from a comedian. Clarke Buehling once told me that my delivery should be more "Shakesperian."
I'm rambling here, but I feel that in our quest to truly experience a taste of the mid 19th century through authentic living history, an understanding and familiarity with the humor of the time can be of great assistance.
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