Why Funny Poetry is Important
Obviously, what I meant by “funny poetry” is work that provides laughter. But, good humorous poetry should go a step beyond this and help the reader find some humor in the seriousness of the world they create around themselves. “Workshop” by Billy Collins is a humorous rendition of how poems are discussed in writers’ workshops. You can find this in Collin’s book The Art of Drowning, which I highly recommend. Lines from this poem like “I might as well begin by saying how much I like the title. /It gets me right away because I’m in a workshop” (1-2) are funny because, they instantly place us within a space we feel is a secret realm: the writers’ workshop. The implication is that poetry is such a small art that those reading it must be writers.
“America” by Tony Hoagland speaks to Gen X culture and America’s boundless reliance of the myth of the American Dream. “America” can by found in Hoagland’s entitled What Narcissism Means to Me. (Again, I highly recommend it!) Hoagland writes, “Which is when I knew it was a dream, since my dad/Would never speak in rhymed couplets” (21-22). He uses the wit of this moment not only to imply that the American dream is false, but also to provide humorous relief from the hopelessness of his domestic life, even while reinforcing this sense of hopelessness.
Funny poems should not just make us laugh, but they must also help us question our surrounding world. But, isn’t that what all poetry should do?
Works Cited:
Collins, Billy. The Art of Drowning. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh, 1995.
Hoagland, Tony. What Narcissism Means to Me. Saint Paul: Graywolf Press, 2003.
No part of this essay may be reproduced without the permission of No Teeth or Jess Myers.
“America” by Tony Hoagland speaks to Gen X culture and America’s boundless reliance of the myth of the American Dream. “America” can by found in Hoagland’s entitled What Narcissism Means to Me. (Again, I highly recommend it!) Hoagland writes, “Which is when I knew it was a dream, since my dad/Would never speak in rhymed couplets” (21-22). He uses the wit of this moment not only to imply that the American dream is false, but also to provide humorous relief from the hopelessness of his domestic life, even while reinforcing this sense of hopelessness.
Funny poems should not just make us laugh, but they must also help us question our surrounding world. But, isn’t that what all poetry should do?
Works Cited:
Collins, Billy. The Art of Drowning. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh, 1995.
Hoagland, Tony. What Narcissism Means to Me. Saint Paul: Graywolf Press, 2003.
No part of this essay may be reproduced without the permission of No Teeth or Jess Myers.
This post is actually Jonathan Papas. I thought those of you who aren't avid facebook-ers might want to read this. "I think the true humor in America, and in "What Narcissism Means to Me" as a whole, comes from the sort of overly present honesty of the speakers. In "America" and "Rap Music," Hoagland (or Hoagland-speaker) forces himself to engage in something that literally scares the pants off of him on a deep, nasty level. That willingness to admit to your biases, point blank and without excuse, motivates a lot of the humor and poignancy in the collection. When the speaker compares a loud car to a "jacuzzi full of ballpeen hammers" or talks about how hip-hop makes him think of a ravaging mob of black people ripping his white head off, there's humor there because of the barefaced honesty. I find it interesting that both of the examples you provided are meta-poetic. Which makes it funny as an in-joke, but in the case of the Collins piece it feels so self-assured that the humor is lost in a wave of snark. Which is very Billy Collins, but makes me kind of stay away from it.
ReplyDeletealso, I disagree with your comment that funny poetry should help the reader find humor in the seriousness of the self-created world. I don't know that that makes it good or bad "funny" poetry. It makes it poetry with an agenda, and that's fine, but I don't know that a value judgment should reside in utilitarianism with poetry. I dunno know, though - good conversation to have, absolutely, and I have to get back to work!"