Dry humor is a comedic technique that relies on calm and direct delivery, rather than exaggerated gestures or expressions. It often employs double entendres and is associated with highbrow comedy, but uses accessible language. Many successful comedians and writers use dry humor in their work.
Often referred to as deadpan humor, dry humor is a comedic technique characterized by a calm and direct delivery on the part of the actor. This is in contrast to such art forms of comedy as slapstick or sketch comedy, which often relies on sweeping gestures, exaggerated facial expressions, or an emphasized pitch or tenor to heighten the comedic appeal of the joke or remark. Often, dry humor is associated with what some people call highbrow comedy, as the style requires a degree of restraint to be effective. However, good dry humor usually employs words that are easily accessible to people of any level of education, and often makes use of everyday terms as part of the content.
With dry humor, the focus is on the actual words being used, rather than the use of various devices that call attention to or emphasize parts of the delivery process. The construction of the joke or script itself may be of a slightly mocking or sarcastic nature, although the vocal delivery will tend to limit the use of inflection or tone to convey those qualities. Instead, the delivery of humor tends to be in ordinary casual tones, sometimes accompanied by a slight smile or a look that is only permitted a hint of irony. This helps draw the audience’s attention to the words themselves, rather than distracting them with movements or expressions.
Double entender is a very common verbal device used in the delivery of dry humor. An excellent example of this device is found in British comedy. Regarded by many as masters in the art of dry humour, many British comedy presentations over the years have employed the usage of a common term which in fact could have more than one meaning, often seen as mildly audacious. When delivered in a perfectly serious and deadpan mode, this device of dry humor can produce rambunctious responses from audiences and appear to stay fresh for an extended period of time.
Many successful comedians, both British and American, have built careers based on the successful employment of dry humor. Along with stage, television and film actors, many writers use dry humor in novels, magazine articles and newspaper columns.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
