Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Advertising...
would it be morally wrong of me to use that adsence thing so that I get money every time someone looks at this page... I think not
Friday, May 28, 2010
Bibliography
Comedy review: Russell Howard / Millfield Arts Centre, London | Stage | The Guardian [Online] Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2007/nov/22/theatre1 [Accessed 6/1/2010, 2010].
Russell Howard | Comedy review | Stage | The Guardian [Online] Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/dec/14/russell-howard-review [Accessed 6/1/2010, 2010].
YouTube - Epic Exam FAILURE - Russell Howard's Good News - Series 1 Episode 6 Highlight - BBC Three [Online] Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bXrsUOpgeg [Accessed 6/2/2010, 2010].
Halliwell, S. (1984) 'Aristophanic Satire'. The Yearbook of English Studies, 14 (, Satire Special Number. Essays in Memory of Robert C. Elliott 1914-1981), pp. 6-20.
Soanes, C. Compact Oxford English Dictionary of Current English Oxford University Press.
Russell Howard | Comedy review | Stage | The Guardian [Online] Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2009/dec/14/russell-howard-review [Accessed 6/1/2010, 2010].
YouTube - Epic Exam FAILURE - Russell Howard's Good News - Series 1 Episode 6 Highlight - BBC Three [Online] Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bXrsUOpgeg [Accessed 6/2/2010, 2010].
Halliwell, S. (1984) 'Aristophanic Satire'. The Yearbook of English Studies, 14 (, Satire Special Number. Essays in Memory of Robert C. Elliott 1914-1981), pp. 6-20.
Soanes, C. Compact Oxford English Dictionary of Current English Oxford University Press.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
My Presentation
'Satire must be contemporary'. Discuss this statement with reference to both a contemporary stand-up comedian who appeals strongly to you and to your Goldoni project.Ensure that you clearly define 'satire' using academic sources.
The OED defines satire as:
satire
/sattir/
• noun 1 the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices. 2 a play, novel, etc. using satire. 3 (in Latin literature) a literary miscellany, especially a poem ridiculing prevalent vices or follies.
I am going to examine the above statement in relation to the stand up comedian Russell Howard and his satirical material, as well as in relation to our piece 'Slightly Goldoni.'
Russell Howard is well known for his satirical comedy, from his stand up, but also from his appearances on Mock the Week and his BBC 3 Show; 'Russell Howard's Good News.'
Howard is not always popular with critics, for example Brian Logan of the Guardian has written two reviews of Howard, stating that; 'There's nothing ambitious about [his material]' and feels that he does not have enough of a personal agenda: 'Howard... shares with Westlife and co an absence of hard edges.' This clip demonstrates this as the reviewer points out, making jokes about grandparents does not hold much weight in terms of issues or social views:
However his success in satirising contemporary society is clearly evidenced in these clips:
On hate on the internet
On rediculous News
On childhood obesity
On teaching children about gay relationships
On Scrabble
On Sex Ed
It is clear from these clips that Howard satirises contemporary material, using news reports and things that are appearing in every day life, however is this why he is successful?
Stephen Halliwell in Aristophanic Satire writes that:
'Any general interpretation of the satirical element in Old Comedy must take into account the implications of the genre's cultural setting' and continues: In Laws Plato makes his spartan character Megillus 'refer in a tone of puritannical offence to the drunkenness that typified the festival of Dionysis at Athens and elsewhere; and in particular Megillus alludes to the activities of 'Men on Wagons', who represented a custom of what might be termed 'folk satire' whereby public entertainment was provided by the frank abuse of citizens.'
So even as far back as the times of Plato, satire was focused on events and people that were recognized by the audience, and this trend is clear today, with many satirical entertainments being based on current events, i.e. Mock the Week, Have I Got News For You, and this can explain why Russell Howard, despite critics evaluations, holds the record for highest number of viewers on BBC3.
However, I would present the idea that in order to be successful, satire does not have to be in the public eye, as long as it is recognizable to the audience. In our Goldoni piece 'Slightly Goldoni', the setting is a hamlet of eight residents, who we have made into archetypes within British society, satirising various levels of society, with emos, a sheltered barmaid, upper class middle aged men and women etc, and we have then put them into a cliched horror movie environment, with woods, thunder, lightening, which we took from films like An American Werewolf in London and classic hammer horror films.
American Werewolf in London opening (6 minutes and 48 seconds in to deomonstrate above point)
Whilst this setting is not necessarily immediately contemporary I would argue that our piece works because the characters are recognizable in modern society, and also because the setting is known to a modern audience. I suggest that this is why programmes such as Blackadder, Dad's Army, 'Allo 'Allo and others are still enjoyable and funny. It could be argued that it is the performances and characters that make the comedy now, however I would state that these programmes are satirising either events that are still evident in our social consciousness, or that the way in which they are satirised makes them still relevant today.
I would conclude then that satire does not by definition have to be contemporary, as anything can be satirised, however to make it SUCCESSFUL satire, I would suggest that the audience needs to be aware of the object of satire.
Russell Howard's comedy is sucessful because he takes current events and examines them, and then satirises the content for the audience, using a heightened performance style and using surrealism and absurdism in his performance.
This heightened style of performance, along with exaggeration and absurdism is an ethos that we have worked towards in our piece 'Slightly Goldoni,' and it comes in the form of satirising archetypal characters that we see in contemporary society, but also life in small villages and, as a theme to overarch everything, horror films and cliches.
The OED defines satire as:
satire
/sattir/
• noun 1 the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people’s stupidity or vices. 2 a play, novel, etc. using satire. 3 (in Latin literature) a literary miscellany, especially a poem ridiculing prevalent vices or follies.
I am going to examine the above statement in relation to the stand up comedian Russell Howard and his satirical material, as well as in relation to our piece 'Slightly Goldoni.'
Russell Howard is well known for his satirical comedy, from his stand up, but also from his appearances on Mock the Week and his BBC 3 Show; 'Russell Howard's Good News.'
Howard is not always popular with critics, for example Brian Logan of the Guardian has written two reviews of Howard, stating that; 'There's nothing ambitious about [his material]' and feels that he does not have enough of a personal agenda: 'Howard... shares with Westlife and co an absence of hard edges.' This clip demonstrates this as the reviewer points out, making jokes about grandparents does not hold much weight in terms of issues or social views:
However his success in satirising contemporary society is clearly evidenced in these clips:
On hate on the internet
On rediculous News
On childhood obesity
On teaching children about gay relationships
On Scrabble
On Sex Ed
It is clear from these clips that Howard satirises contemporary material, using news reports and things that are appearing in every day life, however is this why he is successful?
Stephen Halliwell in Aristophanic Satire writes that:
'Any general interpretation of the satirical element in Old Comedy must take into account the implications of the genre's cultural setting' and continues: In Laws Plato makes his spartan character Megillus 'refer in a tone of puritannical offence to the drunkenness that typified the festival of Dionysis at Athens and elsewhere; and in particular Megillus alludes to the activities of 'Men on Wagons', who represented a custom of what might be termed 'folk satire' whereby public entertainment was provided by the frank abuse of citizens.'
So even as far back as the times of Plato, satire was focused on events and people that were recognized by the audience, and this trend is clear today, with many satirical entertainments being based on current events, i.e. Mock the Week, Have I Got News For You, and this can explain why Russell Howard, despite critics evaluations, holds the record for highest number of viewers on BBC3.
However, I would present the idea that in order to be successful, satire does not have to be in the public eye, as long as it is recognizable to the audience. In our Goldoni piece 'Slightly Goldoni', the setting is a hamlet of eight residents, who we have made into archetypes within British society, satirising various levels of society, with emos, a sheltered barmaid, upper class middle aged men and women etc, and we have then put them into a cliched horror movie environment, with woods, thunder, lightening, which we took from films like An American Werewolf in London and classic hammer horror films.
American Werewolf in London opening (6 minutes and 48 seconds in to deomonstrate above point)
Whilst this setting is not necessarily immediately contemporary I would argue that our piece works because the characters are recognizable in modern society, and also because the setting is known to a modern audience. I suggest that this is why programmes such as Blackadder, Dad's Army, 'Allo 'Allo and others are still enjoyable and funny. It could be argued that it is the performances and characters that make the comedy now, however I would state that these programmes are satirising either events that are still evident in our social consciousness, or that the way in which they are satirised makes them still relevant today.
I would conclude then that satire does not by definition have to be contemporary, as anything can be satirised, however to make it SUCCESSFUL satire, I would suggest that the audience needs to be aware of the object of satire.
Russell Howard's comedy is sucessful because he takes current events and examines them, and then satirises the content for the audience, using a heightened performance style and using surrealism and absurdism in his performance.
This heightened style of performance, along with exaggeration and absurdism is an ethos that we have worked towards in our piece 'Slightly Goldoni,' and it comes in the form of satirising archetypal characters that we see in contemporary society, but also life in small villages and, as a theme to overarch everything, horror films and cliches.
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