I like to think I prefer high comedy over low comedy. My own sense of humor is dry and sarcastic, and I don't find a whole lot of enjoyment from slapstick humor. I only made it through the first twenty minutes of The League before shutting it off, mostly because of its perverse sexual and bodily humor. So it came as no surprise to me when the puns sprinkled through out Earnest were my favorite part. I think they best showed Wilde's wit and talent for writing, especially since several were not immediately noticeable. While there are numerous puns throughout the play, here are a few of my favorites:
Gwendolyn: "Cecily, mamma, whose views on education are remarkably strict, has brought me up to be extremely short-sighted... so do you mind my looking at you through my glasses?" (p. 56)
Jack: "Oh! I don't see much fun in being christened along with other babies. It would be childish." (p. 44)
Algernon: "My dear boy, we were never even on speaking terms. He died before I was a year old." (p. 88)
Currently, I find the show Portlandia to be pretty funny. While I'm sure it would make much more sense if I actually lived in Portland, it's ridiculous and general enough to still be funny. Focused on the wide variety of people that live in Portland, Portlandia is a sketch show the is entirely focused on making fun of the city's diverse population. They take each group and blow their stereotypes to an extreme, incredibly similar to Wilde's own satire on society in Earnest. The wonderful part about Portlandia is that the absurdity of each skit is so outrageous that it never hits close enough to home to be offensive. Instead, the show's a brilliant mix of satire and good natured joking.
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