Knowra Deadpan Deadpan Deadpan is a comic style delivered with an impassive expression or an apparently serious manner. Its humor often comes from the contrast between the delivery and the absurdity of what is said or done.
Incongruity theory : A theory that humor arises when expectations meet an unexpected or incompatible idea. Deadpan sets up a serious expectation, then lets absurd content violate it.
Buster Keaton : An American silent-film actor and filmmaker known for physical comedy and an impassive screen persona. Keaton made a stony expression a defining part of his comic performance.
Slapstick : A form of physical comedy built around exaggerated actions, mishaps, and bodily humor. Slapstick makes comic action overt where deadpan keeps its delivery restrained.
Affect display : The outward expression of emotion through facial expression, voice, gesture, and posture. Deadpan works by withholding or minimizing the emotional cues audiences expect.
Comic timing : The control of pauses, pace, and emphasis to shape a comic effect. A pause or delayed reaction can sharpen deadpan's contrast between delivery and content.
Leslie Nielsen : A Canadian-American actor known for playing absurd comedy with the grave manner of a dramatic lead. His performances in spoof films demonstrate deadpan as a sustained acting method.
Farce : A comedy of exaggerated situations, mistaken identities, and improbable complications. Farce often foregrounds escalating chaos rather than deadpan's impassive presentation.
Emotional labor : The management of feelings and emotional expression to meet the requirements of paid work. Deadpan performers deliberately manage expression, though comic restraint is not itself necessarily workplace labor.
Facial expression : Visible movements of the face that convey emotion, intention, or social signals. Deadpan suppresses expressive facial cues that would otherwise signal the joke.
Steven Wright : An American stand-up comedian known for slow delivery and surreal one-liners. His measured delivery makes bizarre premises sound like casual observations.
Show all 22