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Post by estherina on Oct 23, 2005 10:43:35 GMT -5
...In A Musical
I think this piece is brilliant, really. Comedy is so hard to do well without it seeming forced or silly but its written seamlessly into this piece. Bravo!
What do you think makes comedy work/not work in fiction and how does it work well here?
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Post by David Emery on Oct 23, 2005 21:43:26 GMT -5
Dave's a hell of a writer. He has a different piece coming out in the new issue.
I think what makes "...Musical" so effective in its humour is the inappropriateness of the imagery. It's almost kind of horrific, and the fact that it's horrifying because a bunch of people are dancing and singing along to music that the narrator can't hear makes it amusing. It's a clash of style and subject matter, and Dave makes it work.
I think comedy fails in literature when it's too esoteric. There's a level-headed quality to the story, and its viewpoint is thus easy to adopt. The bizarre isn't bizarre because it doesn't make sense; it's bizarre because we realize it's not supposed to make sense.
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Post by theundergrad on Oct 25, 2006 11:49:08 GMT -5
i liked it. but what its missing is critique. comedy is critical in its nature so what is being ctiricised in this one? the title made me to believe it was criticizing people's MP3 players. They fact that so many people now are actually stuck in their own musical, and getting lost in the absolutly "bizarre" nature and feelings which their songs produce. Compared to the lethargic and miserable world of reality that Dave sees, because he is unplugged, and not part of the musical. Or Is he criticizing our society's playfull and optimistic approach to a world that is undeniably cursed with suffering? It was a very good piece and funny too, but what was the point?
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