Unit
Two Blog Post
For this unit two
blog post, I want to discuss the Robyn Stacia Swink’s 2017 article in Feminist Media Studies, “Lemony Liz and
likable Leslie: audience understandings of feminism, comedy, and gender in
women-led television comedies.” I thought that Swink’s article was well
researched and well written. I’m glad that the subject of women in media is
getting more scholarly treatment and analysis. There is interesting stuff going
on in this journal article that I thought it would be a good thing to write
about in this blog post. I want to drum up some conversations that this class
might enjoy having. Since there are fans of 30
Rock and Parks and Recreation in
this class (I also thought both shows were very funny), I’m sure many of you
have some thoughts on Swink’s article.
I want
to discuss the passage about the male and female characters on 30 Rock and Parks and Recreation:
While several
participants identified strongly with female characters, they often claimed
that their favorite characters were men. For example, in response to the
question “Which character do you identify with on 30 Rock?” Clara said, Liz
Lemon. I find myself saying things that she says. “I definitely identify with
her. I also like her, I empathize with her. But if I had to pick favorite
characters on that show, I think it would have to be Jack Donaghy.” Similarly,
Ruby identified with 30 Rock’s Liz Lemon (discussed above) while favoring Kenneth:
“My favorite is Kenneth. He’s just funny.” Further, when discussing Parks and
Recreation, Ruby noted that her favorites on the show include Jean-Ralphio, and
that some of the funniest moments of the show feature the character Andy Dwyer.
This pattern of identifying with women but favoring men for their humor is
notable given the persistent stereotype that women are not as funny as men
(Swink 20-1).
I believe comedy is a bit more complicated than what
Swink’s presents. Kenneth, Jack Donaghy, Jean-Ralphio, and Andy Dwyer are
eccentric characters. We laugh at them because of their outlandish natures, not
because of their gender. Liz Lemon and Leslie Knope are probably perceived as
less funny to the focus group because the role that they play is that of the
“straight man” (or “straight woman” in this case). Here is more about that https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straight_man.
The straight man is considered less funny because they are seen as more normal,
but they play a crucial role in comedy because they are either the voice of
reason or they are the antagonists to the eccentric characters. Reason and
conflict are important elements to storytelling. Here are some comic examples from
other shows, that demonstrates, regardless of gender, the straight man /
eccentric character dynamic in action. All the main characters are the same
gender to support my argument.
1.Mary Richards vs. Georgette Franklin Baxter
In this clip from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Mary Richards
is the straight man to Georgette Franklin Baxter https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZxjUizUKeA
2. April
Ludgate vs. Leslie Knope and Ann Perkins
In this clip from Parks and Recreation, Leslie and Ann are
the straight men to the sarcastic and underrated April.
3. Sophia Petrillo vs. Dorothy Zbornak
In this clip from The Golden Girls, Dorothy is the straight man to Sophia.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GMVIlYTBxg
4. Dwight
vs Jim
In this clip from The Office, need I say more?
5. Felix
vs. Oscar
In this clip from the Odd Couple, Oscar is the straight man to Felix.
What you think about this argument? Do you agree or
disagree? Remember, pizza is knowledge.
Citations:
Citations:
Swink, Robyn
Stacia. “Lemony Liz and Likable Leslie: Audience Understandings of Feminism,
Comedy, and Gender in Women-Led Television Comedies.” Feminist Media Studies, vol. 17, no. 1, 2017, pp. 14–28., doi:10.1080/14680777.2017.1261832.
Everyone will eventually get tired of me referencing The Office, but for now:
ReplyDeleteTo comment on your post Alexandra, the scenes between Jim and Dwight are funny not because they are male. I totally agree with you. You put the words I was trying to formulate onto paper -- so thank you. They are funny because of the characters they play. Dwight seems to be funnier because of his reaction to Jim's pranks. We could also view it as Jim being funnier in the scenes because fo the pranks he pulls.
I think this is a fascinating part of comedy to analyze. I find myself agreeing with you for the most part, as I agree that often two characters in comedy are pitted against one another, and the more sensible one, here referred to as the "straight man" is usually less funny because he/she is less ridiculous. I think that the examples you provided about Dwight vs. Jim and Sophia vs. Dorothy most helped to convince me of this argument. However, as another example from The Office, I would say that while I like and relate to characters like Pam and Kelly, my favorite characters are the men, characters like Michael and Dwight and even Creed. I think that while I do agree with your argument that Liz Lemon may be the "straight man" character, I do think that sometimes stereotypes that have been ingrained in us affect what we find funny, in certain situations.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with what you're saying about how these women are playing the "straight man" parts of their comedy bits, but that also makes me wonder why these famous funny women are put into these parts. I'm glad that you put in an examples with women in both roles (I especially liked Aubrey Plaza's performance), but I wonder how often women are used to play "straight man" characters. It reminds me of what Barreca described about Good Girls versus Bad Girls, and how women in masculine comedy play into a dynamic where they make men feel guilty for laughing at other's misfortunes (12-13). Could placing women in the "straight man" roles of comedy be seen as an extension of this dynamic?
ReplyDeleteI agree. Characterization is what makes for funny characters, not gender. Liz Lemon and Leslie Knope can be just as funny as any character in the two shows. Their reactions to the more zany and out of control characters are just as funny as the zany characters. I loved the part of your piece about characters in comedy being pitted against each other. I never thought of it that way before I read it. The idea anything is hyper dependent on gender is quickly fading. And it should. I think this blog post is evidence of the departure from gender coming into play with what’s funnier than the other.
ReplyDelete