Clemson University TigerPrints All Dissertations Dissertations 5-2015 Seriously Playful and Playfully Serious: The Helpfulness of Humorous Parody Michael Richard Lucas Clemson University Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations Recommended Citation Lucas, Michael Richard, "Seriously Playful and Playfully Serious: The eH lpfulness of Humorous Parody" (2015). All Dissertations. 1486. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/1486 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SERIOUSLY PLAYFUL AND PLAYFULLY SERIOUS: THE HELPFULNESS OF HUMOROUS PARODY A Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of Clemson University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design by Michael Richard Lucas May 2014 Accepted by: Victor J. Vitanza, Committee Chair Stephaine Barczewski Cynthia Haynes Beth Lauritis i ABSTRACT In the following work I create and define the parameters for a specific form of humorous parody. I highlight specific problematic narrative figures that circulate the public sphere and reinforce our serious narrative expectations. However, I demonstrate how critical public pedagogies are able to disrupt these problematic narrative expectations. Humorous parodic narratives are especially equipped to help us in such situations when they work as a critical public/classroom pedagogy, a form of critical rhetoric, and a form of mass narrative therapy. These findings are supported by a rhetorical analysis of these parodic narratives, as I expand upon their ability to provide a practical model for how to create/analyze narratives both inside/outside of the classroom. Because these parodic narratives serve as an impetus for creative inquiry, I focus specifically on the importance of humor and play within the classroom and within practices of self-narration. ii DEDICATION To my selves—for writing this. And everyone else. But not you. I don’t trust you yet. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my family and friends for their love and support in this and all my endeavors. I feel very fortunate to have such lovely people in my life. I would like to say something funny and clever here, but I am fresh out of witticisms at the moment, and seeing as how my Dear Reader has so many tiresome pages left to read, I am sure you already regret having landed on this page, as most acknowledgement pages are a complete waste of time and are highly unoriginal; e.g., scholars thank their significant others, pets, favorite prostitutes, insignificant others, famous dead people they have never met but want to align themselves with, and (the absolute worse) their family and friends!!! But look at me, just writing away when you want to get on with the main course! How rude. My sincerest apologies, Dear Reader; however, while I am at it, I might as well expand on the individuals/strange series of successes and failures that have led/driven me to write this dissertation. I was born on February 17th, 1986 in Medford Oregon. From humble beginnings to even humbler endings, [. .] 1 1 Editor’s Note: I, Martin Tagamas, have redacted the following 300–odd pages that, while humorous and entertaining, do not appear to relate to the deceased scholar’s following body of scholarship. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Page TITLE PAGE .................................................................................................................... i ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... ii DEDICATION ................................................................................................................ iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................. iv CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION: CAVEATS, CONFESSIONS, CONFUSIONS, CONJECTURES, EXCUSES, EXIGENCIES, ETC. ................................................................................ 1 Behind the Scenes of Paraumhordyor ..................................................... 4 Scene 1: Inauthentic Philosophizing ........................................................ 4 A Short Story ........................................................................................... 7 Limiting Rhetorical Stances ................................................................... 10 Othering: How the Multipersonned/Kairotic Self Responsibly Roams .......................................................................... 13 Speculation without Expression ............................................................. 17 Helpfulness and Curiosity ...................................................................... 19 Conjecture ............................................................................................. 22 Fine, I’ll Be “Serious” Now .................................................................. 24 Chapter Outline ...................................................................................... 24 II. DEFINING PARAUMHORDYOR ............................................................... 29 Overview: Three Obstacles .................................................................... 29 Humor is Essential for Parody to be Celphuriositfulish (Obstacle 1) ........................................................ 31 Differentiating Parody (Obstacle 2) ....................................................... 63 III. NARRATING OUR SELVES ..................................................................... 87 Introducing Narrative: a Narrated Introduction ..................................... 87 A Narrated Overview of Narrated Narration ......................................... 90 v Table of Contents (Continued) Page Narrating the Self, and How! ................................................................. 91 Mass Media Narratives .......................................................................... 98 Problematic Mass Narratives ............................................................... 101 Helpful Mass Narratives ...................................................................... 124 IV. PARAUMHORDYOR FUNCTIONING AS A MASS NARRATIVE THERAPY IN CONTEMPORARY VISUAL ENTERTAINMENT ............................................................ 134 Helpful Public Pedagogies ................................................................... 134 Contemporary Positions on Comedic Rhetorical Forms in the Public Sphere ............................................................ 137 Parody in Contemporary Visual Entertainment ................................... 153 A Final-ish Judgementationalization Rubric for Paraumhordyor .............................................................................. 154 Mediums Featuring Paraumhordyors .................................................. 159 Examples of Paraumhordyors ............................................................. 162 Paraumhordyors qua Narrative Therapy ............................................. 169 V. CRITEATIVICAL ATMOPSHERES OF PLAY ENABLED BY PARAUMHORDYOR .............................................. 173 Moving Beyond Argumentation and Critique Toward and Impetus to Create ....................................................... 178 Play-aumhordyor ................................................................................. 183 Humor Provides a Creative Atmosphere ............................................. 188 A Kairotic User Experience ................................................................. 197 VI. ALTERNATIVE PRACTICES OF CREATING AND CRITIQUING: HOW PARUMHORDYORS BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN PUBLIC AND CLASSROOM PEDAGOGY .................................................... 208 The Importance of Humor and Play in the Classroom ........................ 208 DIY/Amateur Video Production .......................................................... 228 My First-hand Experience and Student Examples ............................... 236 VII. ADVICE FROM SOMEONE WHO KNOWS: THE LIFE OF PHILIP MURRAY SPRINGER (SHORT FILM) .................................................................................. 241 vi Table of Contents (Continued) Page APPENDICES ............................................................................................................. 242 A: Afterword ................................................................................................... 243 B: Syllabus for Future Course ........................................................................ 245 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................ 261 vii CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION: CAVEATS, CONFESIONS, CONFUSIONS, CONJECTORS, EXCUSES, EXIGENCIES, ETC. I would have preferred to write a more thoroughly parodic dissertation, but I am aware of my academic surroundings, and I therefore must appear to respect that genre (to get a job, to impress others, to pay off my graduate student loans, etc.). Instead of writing either a purely academic dissertation or a purely parodic/entertaining dissertation, I will do both and. This is in keeping with the golden [un]rule of group comedy: saying “yes, and…” In doing both and I hope to provide you, my Dear Reader, with an interesting opportunity to say “yes,