Abstract
This essay theorizes a millennial-era iteration of stand-up comedy: refractive comedy. Through close textual analysis of Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette (2018), I argue refractive comedy alters the message, affective nature, and form of stand-up comedy through a rejection of the dominant worldview and subsequent centering of marginalized standpoints. This essay examines Gadsby’s refraction in a broader discourse of industrial and cultural, gendered, and racial gatekeeping. I examine how refractive comedy, additionally, has inspired critical conversation on comedy’s role in relation to shared and collective trauma, as seen in Bo Burnham’s Inside (2021).
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Ahmed
Sara
. 2010 . “Happy Objects .” In The Affect Theory Reader , edited by
Gregg
M.
Seigworth
G. J.
, 29 –51 . Durham : Duke University Press .
2.
Ahmed
Sara
. 2014 . The Cultural Politics of Emotion . 2nd ed. New York, NY : Routledge .
3.Australian Human Rights Commission . 2015 . “Face the Facts: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex People .” Australian Human Rights Commission , February 25 . https://www.humanrights.gov.au/education/face-facts/face-facts-lesbian-gay-bisexual-trans-and-intersex-people.
4.
Balkin
Sarah
. 2020 . “The Killjoy Comedian: Hannah Gadsby’s Nanette .” Theatre Research International 45 (1 ): 72 –85 .
5.
Bergson
Henri
. 1911 . Laughter . New York, NY : The Macmillan Company .
6.Billboard Staff . 2021 . “People Are Upset That Bill Cosby Is Free & Britney Spears Isn’t: ‘You Know the Patriarchy Has Finally Won .’” Billboard , July 1 . https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/9595795/bill-cosby-britney-spears-cases-public-reactions/.
7.
Black
Michele C.
Basile
Kathleen C.
Beiding
Matthew J.
Smith
Sharon G.
Walters
Mikel L.
Merrick
Melissa T.
Chen
Jieru
, et al . 2011 . “National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey: 2010 Summary Report .” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , November , 1 –124 .
8.
Bruenig
Elizabeth
. 2017 . “Why is Millennial Humor So Weird? ” The Washington Post , August 11 . https://ezproxy2.library.colostate.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/blogs-podcasts-websites/why-is-millennial-humor-so-weird/docview/1927944695/se-2?accountid=10223.
9.
Colpean
Michelle
Tully
Meg
. 2019 . “Not Just a Joke: Tina Fey, Amy Schumer, and the Weak Reflexivity of White Feminist Comedy .” Women’s Studies in Communication 42 (2 ): 161–80.
10.
Double
Oliver
. 2017 . “Tragedy Plus Time: Transforming Life Experience Into Stand-Up Comedy .” New Theatre Quarterly 33 (2 ): 143–55.
11.
Fienberg
Daniel
. 2018 . “Critic’s Notebook: ‘Nanette,’ ‘Set It Up’ and Netflix Discovery Syndrome .” The Hollywood Reporter , June 25 . https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/fien-print/nanette-set-it-up-michelle-wolf-netflix-discovery-syndrome-1123160.
12.
Gilbert
Joanne R.
2004 . Performing Marginality: Humor, Gender, and Cultural Critique. Humor in Life and Letters . Detroit : Wayne State University Press .
13.
Gilligan
Carol
. 1993 . In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development . Cambridge, MA : Harvard University Press .
14.
Koltun
Kim
. 2018 . “Rick, Morty, and Absurdism: The Millennial Allure of Dark Humor .” Forum Journal of History 10 : 12 .
15.
Krefting
Rebecca
. 2014 . All Joking Aside: American Humor and Its Discontents . Baltimore, MD : Johns Hopkins University Press .
16.
Krefting
Rebecca
. 2019 a. “Hannah Gadsby: On the Limits of Satire .” Studies in American Humor 5 (1 ): 93 –102 .
17.
Krefting
Rebecca
. 2019 b. “Hannah Gadsby Stands Down: Feminist Comedy Studies .” JCMS: Journal of Cinema and Media Studies 58 (3 ): 165–70.
18.
Mahdawi
Arwa
. 2021 . “Bill Cosby, Britney, and a Tale of Two American Justice Systems .” The Guardian , July 3 , Sec. Opinion. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/jul/03/bill-cosby-britney-spears-week-in-patriarchy.
19.
Marx
Nick
. 2016 . “Expanding the Brand: Race, Gender, and the Post-Politics of Representation on Comedy Central .” Television & New Media 17 (3 ): 272–87.
20.
Miller
Toby
. 2007 . Cultural Citizenship: Cosmopolitanism, Consumerism, and Television in a Neoliberal Age . Philadelphia, PA : Temple University Press .
21.
Moore
Margaret
. 1999 . “The Ethics of Care and Justice .” Women & Politics 20 (2 ): 1 –16 .
22.
Patten
Dominic
. 2021 . “Dave Chappelle Says He Won’t Be ‘Bending To Anyone’s Demands’ Over ‘Closer’ Controversy; Praises Ted Sarandos, Mocks Hannah Gadsby .” Deadline (blog), October 25 . https://deadline.com/2021/10/dave-chappelle-controversy-reaction-video-trans-netflix-hannah-gadsby-1234862068/.
23.
Quirk
Sophie
. 2015 . Why Stand-Up Matters: How Comedians Manipulate and Influence . London : Bloomsbury Publishing PLC .
24.
Riley
Jenelle
. 2018 . “Hannah Gadsby on the Real ‘Nanette’ and Whether She’s Really Quitting Comedy After Her Netflix Special .” Variety , July 6 . https://variety.com/2018/tv/features/hannah-gadsby-nanette-quitting-comedy-1202867395/.
25.
Rossing
Jonathan P.
2017 . “No Joke: Silent Jesters and Comedic Refusals .” Rhetoric & Public Affairs 20 (3 ): 545–56.
26.
Sulaiman
Suad M. A.
Al-Muscati
Sura R. A.
. 2017 . “Millennial Generations & Their Parents: Similarities and Differences .” International Journal of Psychological Studies 9 (1 ): 121 .