How to write comedy - Jodie Houlston-Lau

翻译人员: Xinyue Li 校对人员: Yanyan Hong

A World War II veteran processes the devastation he’s witnessed

一位参加过第二次世界大战的老兵，

正讲述着他在星系动物园内目睹的破坏。

from the confines of an intergalactic zoo.

As an estranged parent and child meet at a fraught family reunion,

彼此感到疏远的父亲和孩子， 在忧心忡忡的家庭聚会相遇。

a little girl mumbles, “How do you do?” from behind a dirty curtain.

一个小女孩从肮脏的窗帘后面 喃喃地说：“你好吗？”

After the death of his best friend,

在他最好的朋友去世后，

a lonely king travels to the end of the world in search for answers and...

一位孤独的国王前往 世界尽头寻找答案，随后……

他走进了酒吧。

walks into a bar.

It may seem counterintuitive, but comedy is often key to a serious story.

这可能看起来有悖常理， 但喜剧效果往往是每个严肃故事的关键。

As a writer, you need your audience to experience a range of emotions,

做为一个作家，你需要让读者 感受到一系列的情感。

no matter what your genre.

无论你采用什么手法，

Whether you want to evoke fear, grief, or excitement,

无论你是想唤起恐惧、悲伤还是兴奋。

when people are exposed to one emotion for too long,

当人们沉浸在一个情感太久，

they become desensitized to it.

他们会变得麻木。

Comic relief is a tried-and-true way of creating the varied emotional texture

一个精彩动人的故事往往需要

a compelling story needs.

恰如其分的喜剧效果。

So how can you create this effect in your own stories?

所以，你怎样在自己的故事中 创造这样的效果呢？

Whether you use characters, situations, language, or any combination of the three,

无论你是想通过人物、情节、 语言，还是将三者结合，

timing and contrast are crucial.

恰当的时机和反差都很关键。

Take the “Epic of Gilgamesh.”

以《吉尔伽美什史诗》为例，

This ancient Mesopotamian tale is possibly the oldest known work of literature,

这个古老的美索不达米亚故事 或许是迄今最古老的文学作品。

and yet the story remains compelling today.

然而， 这个故事在当今仍然很吸引人。

As King Gilgamesh approaches the end of the world,

就在吉尔加梅什国王就快抵达世界尽头时，

he walks into a bar.

他走进了一家酒馆。

We think we’re reaching the climax of his story—

我们以为他的故事已经到了高潮——

only to have our expectations subverted.

结果并非我们所期望的。

That brief respite allows the tension to build even higher

这短暂的停顿反而推动了

to a later, true climax.

随后、真正的故事高潮。

It both relieves and creates tension.

它同时起到了舒缓情绪， 又能制造紧张感的作用。

This lesson also applies to modern stories:

这一经验也适用于现代故事：

by briefly lightening the mood,

通过短暂地放松心情，

you can build tension in your stories exactly when it’s needed.

在你的故事中 恰如其分地制造紧张感。

The moment at the bar doesn’t just amplify the audience’s emotional response—

在酒吧的那一刻 不仅放大了观众的情绪反应，

it also complicates it.

它也使它复杂化了。

The wise bartender questions the purpose of Gilgamesh’s quest—

充满智慧的酒保质疑了 吉尔伽美什的探索——

setting the stage for the final, more nuanced resolution.

推动舞台走向结尾、更微妙的冲突。

You can use comic relief not only to create contrast with graver moments,

你可以采用喜剧性穿插的手法 来创造与重要时刻的反差，

but to comment on them.

还可以借此来加以评说。

Sidekicks are one of the most common and direct ways to do this:

搭档是最常见和直接的方式之一：

they can supply sneakily perceptive commentary on the main action,

他们可以偷偷地 对主角动作做出尖锐的评论，

often while simultaneously serving as blundering, hapless punchlines.

同时常常充当浮躁、不幸的笑料。

Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse-Five” takes a different approach:

库尔特·冯内古特（Kurt Vonnegut）的 《屠宰场五人组》采取了不同的方法：

the story continuously alternates between horrific war scenes

这个故事发生在可怕的战争场景，

and wacky science fiction moments.

和古怪的科幻小说之间不断交替。

These scenes provide comic relief,

这些场景提供了喜剧性穿插，

but also open a dialogue about what’s usually unspeakable,

但是同时也打开了 平时难以说出口的对话。

highlighting the arbitrary nature of human suffering

突出人类苦难的任意性质，

in a way that makes it more impactful.

通过一种方式使它变得更有力。

Arundhati Roy’s “The God of Small Things”

阿兰达蒂·罗伊 （Arundhati Roy）的《微物之神》，

takes yet another approach to comic relief.

带来了另一种方式接近欢乐的解脱。

The narrative style draws upon the perspective of children

叙事风格的画采用孩子的视角，

to infuse a tragic story with poignant humor.

给悲剧故事注入辛辣的幽默，

When the adults funnel decades of tensions over race, class, and family dynamics

当成年人把在种族、阶级和家庭动态方面 积累了几十年的紧张关系，

into their expectations for their children’s behavior,

灌输到他们对孩子行为的期望中，

you can’t help but chuckle with recognition when,

你不能忍住轻笑。

at the moment she’s expected to put on a perfect performance of politeness,

当你在意识到 她期望把完美的礼貌表现放上去，

7-year-old Rahel “[ravels] herself like a sausage into the dirty airport curtain

而 7 岁的瑞秋像一根香肠一样钻 到机场脏兮兮的窗帘后面，

and [won’t] unravel.”

却不知道如何解开。

At the same time, you know her failure to behave will only add to the tension.

与此同时，你也知道 她的不作为只会增加紧张的气氛。

Afterward, she thinks, “the play had gone bad.

后来，她认为，这出戏演砸了。

Like Pickle in a monsoon.”

就像雨季里的酸黄瓜。

This punchline underscores the reality of the situation:

这句笑点强调了现实情况：

the reunion is so forced and formal,

这次聚会很勉强，也很正式，

Rahel feels like her family are actors in a play,

瑞秋觉得她的家人就像戏剧里的演员，

and she feels powerless in the storm of what’s happening.

而她就像在风暴中感到无能为力。

To make the most of comic relief, think not only about what moment in your story

为了最大限度地发挥喜剧效果， 不仅要考虑你的故事中哪一个时刻

would most benefit from a splash of contrasting emotion,

最能从强烈的对比情绪中获益，

but also: what message you’d like to convey that you can’t say directly?

还要考虑：你想传达哪些 不能直说的信息？

Which of your readers’ assumptions would you like to call into question?

你想质疑读者的哪些假设？