12 May 2019: “But humor is different. The humorist is at odds with the publicly espoused values of the culture, overturning its sacred cows, pointing out the nakedness of not only the Emperor, but also the politician, the pious, and the pompous. For women to adopt this role means that they must break out of the passive, subordinate position mandated for them by centuries of patriarchal tradition and take on the power accruing to those who reveal the shams, hypocrisies, and incongruities of the dominant culture. To be a woman and a humorist is to confront and subvert the very power that keeps women powerless.” Nancy Walker, A Very Serious Thing: Women’s Humor and American Culture
Yes, graduation was only yesterday, but no rest for the wicked. I've already actually been working a bit on this class--a fully online version of Advanced Composition--for a bit now, but got some serious work done this morning. This section will be about women and comedy, with a particular focus on the last 10 years or so. The Walker quotation above (from her 1988 book) is good food for thought.
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