Studying comedy, satire, and humor at an occasionally unfunny place.
From a literary perspective, comedians have something unique to offer their readers; they present the world in an unusual light, injecting levity into the otherwise flat. Theirs is a craft outside the mainstream; comedic authors are somehow able to make people laugh amidst long clauses and complex plot constructions. It takes years for a humorist to hone his or her skills—constant editing and drafting can only take someone so far before unsatisfied audiences.
The craft of comedy, though, is not something easily taught in a formal academic environment. A quick survey of today’s influential comedic writers and actors seems to showcase a standard pattern: they devote themselves to acting, theatre, or English in college, join an influential improv troupe, and then claw their way up to the top.
Yet this does not mean one should consider the funnier arts completely out of reach. At Harvard, formal academics and professionals who have found themselves inside the laugh factories of Hollywood and New York offer undergraduates opportunities to invest themselves in humor and to study the practice and production thereof.
Michael Shinagel got his start at Harvard when he taught a section for Expository Writing in 1959 as a Ph.D. student in the English Department; after teaching at Cornell and Union College, he came back to work as the Dean of the Extension School in 1975. At various times, he has served as the Master of Quincy House and a senior lecturer on English. Much of his work has focused on Robinson Crusoe author Daniel Defoe and a broad selection of 19th-century literature.
Every two years, though, he can be found teaching one of Harvard’s few comedy-focused courses, “English 153: Satire: Augustan and Modern.” The course invites its students to explore satire in the work of various influential authors across time, from Voltaire to Vonnegut. By taking the works and dissecting them as literature, the course allows students to enjoy and explore the readings while imparting to them some of the comedic tactics of the great satirists of the English canon.
Comedic courses here, however, go beyond the boundaries of the English language and even the literary approach. Harvard’s Committee on Dramatics—the influential collection of theatrical wisdom and acting prowess—offers an acting workshop specifically devoted to comedic performance, which asks its students to perform everything from Shakespeare to Steve Martin. Performers are given the opportunity to be seen by and get feedback from members of the American Repertory Theatre.
Freshmen in particular have a special opportunity to connect with the funnier side of their academics. With the freedom granted by the structure of a Freshman Seminar, professors have decided to teach a few different acting courses, which allow for improvisation and a meaningful, lighthearted study of comedy (and acting more generally). Performance and engagement with comedy is emphasized, reflecting the importance of practical experience in developing and honing comedic skills.
Finally, for those among us who speak fluent German, a class is offered on Deutsche Komödie, which is exactly what it sounds like: an exploration of the things Germany has found funny in the past few centuries of its dramatic literature. Like the aforementioned acting workshop, it asks its students to perform parts of comedic plays and explore the deeper meaning and societal context of their humor.
Harvard is not always the funniest place to be, but it has found ways to work humor and comedy into the dense courses, which prepare its students to take on the world. Perhaps it is good to have that lighter perspective integrated neatly into the course catalogue, even if it won’t necessarily make writing papers and finishing problem sets any funnier.
Gary Gerbrandt ’14 (garygerbrandt@college) is waiting for the day he can look back on his time at Harvard and laugh like a maniac in a straitjacket.