https://humorstudies.org/Forum/ Sat, 02 May 2026 15:03:36 +0000 MyBB https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=7 Tue, 19 Dec 2023 09:51:45 +0000 Alexander Sparrow]]> https://humorstudies.org/Forum/showthread.php?tid=7
Welcome again to the SIG: Performing forum! This thread is for introducing yourself to the group. A loosely followed format will help make all the information easy to find, so let's start with the format below. My introduction will follow this post.

Name:
Field: 
Area/s of interest:
Writer/performer of comedy (Yes/No, and which type):
Introductory paragraph:

---

Name: Alexander Sparrow
Field: Philosophy
Area/s of interest: Aesthetics and ethics of stand-up comedy
Writer/performer of comedy (Yes/No, and which type): Yes, writer and performer
Introductory paragraph:
I'm interested in using humour studies to improve stand-up comedy (both for myself and other comedians). My aesthetic interest is working out how jokes can be made maximally effective, i.e. laugh-producing. My ethical interests lie in defending comedy against claims that it should be limited in terms of subject matter, joke targets, or comedic sub-genre. At this stage, I defend the benign violation theory in a limited way: arguing that it can be shown to improve jokes strictly within the field of stand-up comedy. (The original argument that it encompasses and explains all instances of humour is not relevant to my work, which is limited to the study and performance of stand-up comedy.)]]>
Welcome again to the SIG: Performing forum! This thread is for introducing yourself to the group. A loosely followed format will help make all the information easy to find, so let's start with the format below. My introduction will follow this post.

Name:
Field: 
Area/s of interest:
Writer/performer of comedy (Yes/No, and which type):
Introductory paragraph:

---

Name: Alexander Sparrow
Field: Philosophy
Area/s of interest: Aesthetics and ethics of stand-up comedy
Writer/performer of comedy (Yes/No, and which type): Yes, writer and performer
Introductory paragraph:
I'm interested in using humour studies to improve stand-up comedy (both for myself and other comedians). My aesthetic interest is working out how jokes can be made maximally effective, i.e. laugh-producing. My ethical interests lie in defending comedy against claims that it should be limited in terms of subject matter, joke targets, or comedic sub-genre. At this stage, I defend the benign violation theory in a limited way: arguing that it can be shown to improve jokes strictly within the field of stand-up comedy. (The original argument that it encompasses and explains all instances of humour is not relevant to my work, which is limited to the study and performance of stand-up comedy.)]]>