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Originally Posted by CO Hummer
Sorry for rambing.
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No problem, buddy. Your information is always welcome here.
As Aristotle said, "Comedy is an imitation of men worse than the average; worse...[in the sense of] the ridiculous, which is a species of the ugly. The ridiculous may be defined as a mistake or deformity not productive of pain or harm to others." This view has been interpreted in a variety of ways, but on one interpretation it coheres with the assessment theory of humor presented in this book. By "Imitation" is partially meant that it is "created." He further agrees that ridicule, being open censure, is not humor. Humor is not abuse but only gives unpressured harmless innuendo. (Cooper 1922:225) The defect or ugliness must not be painful or destructive. We can now, with the assessment theory of emotion, make more sense than previously of Aristotle's theory.
Imitation is a form of pretense humor. Also, that the laughter is at those who have human faults is a type of value deviation, just as is the ugly. It deviates from our desires or from the ideal. To this view, Aristotle adds in the
Tractatus Coislinianus (In Cooper 1922:225): "Comedy is an imitation of action that is ludicrous and imperfect...directly presented by persons acting, and not in the form of narrative; through pleasure and laughter effecting the purgation of the like emotions." This extends humor, or comedy, to anything which is imperfect. It is acted out in the case of comedy. And this results in catharsis or release from tension. This brings his view in line with the now rejected release, or escape views of humor. But if we laugh at others for faults in others, which we fear or will not readily admit in ourselves, then this can lead to superiority views of humor.