Introduction

The introduction examines three major theories of humor: superiority theory, incongruity theory, and release theory. Considering these models with the work of feminist and anti-racist scholars in mind, we see that each is also a theory of what it means to be human, carrying ethical and political implications far beyond any immediate analysis of joking. While incongruity theory is probably the best model from which to approach the poets discussed in this book, no one theory satisfactorily describes their work, and certainly not the human experience of laughter as a whole. A better approach may be to draw on theories of empathy, which many philosophers see as opposed to laughter, to define a new category: “constructive humor.” This form of laughter promotes mutual understanding among joker, listener, and the target of the joke.