Humor in a Serious Work
One of the first lines I wrote that I remember another person enjoying was from an adventure story I wrote when I was thirteen. People had enjoyed my stories, but this was the first time anyone had mentioned a specific line.
I don’t have the original anymore, so let me recreate it. The story is about an explorer named Michael.[note]For some reason all my protagonists had names that started with M. Maybe influence from Redwall?[/note] He is traveling through a jungle, down a river in a canoe, when he hears a noise ahead.
Michael wondered what the rumbling was. Then his canoe came around a bend in the river and he saw the waterfall. It was less than a hundred feet ahead of him.
The river was calm and serene, with no ripples until it reached the edge of the falls. Then, like an accident, it just sort of slipped over. And so did Michael.
My father thought that last line, “And so did Michael.” was hilarious. I didn’t intend the line to be humorous, and it certainly taught me to be careful about maintaining tone, but I am not sure now that the line is really all that bad.
Diffusing Tension
Writing is about creating a sense of anticipation in the reader. Without it, we are simply producing a languid line of prose that may be superficially pretty, but lacks depth or interest. Writing inherently involves mystery and revelation to the reader. And anything unknown can cause tension.
I’ll leave a deep analysis of humor to others,[note]As E.B. White said, “Analyzing humor is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it.”[/note] but a basic understanding is that humor is created by relieving tension. In a more serious story, it might seem like you would want keep the tension high at all times, but this is not necessarily true.
Keeping tension high can cause the reader to grow weary and present an almost parodic setting where nothing can go right. Allowing some respite allows the characters to show how they are responding to the stress, and in turn grows their characters. It also gives the reader a break, and actually allows for further tension to have an increased effect.
Humor is a way to lower the tension, but is often overlooked when we try to maintain a serious façade. That grimness is just a façade though. Its flatness will soon become obvious to an astute reader. Introducing humor can add a contrast that builds the seriousness of the rest of your world.
Finally, don’t forget that humor can bring life to your characters. It says something about a character that they continue to joke, even in the face of death. Are they smug, suicidal, or just putting on an act? What about a character who doesn’t react to humor. Are they serious or afraid of showing weakness, even just cracking a smile?
Overall, I think humor can add a nice contrasting flavor, even to more serious works.