Common Categories of Humor:
* Satire: Uses humor to expose and criticize human flaws, social institutions, or political situations. Think of Jonathan Swift's *Gulliver's Travels* or George Orwell's *Animal Farm*.
* Irony: Uses a discrepancy between what is said and what is meant, or between appearance and reality. This can be verbal (sarcasm), situational (events turn out unexpectedly), or dramatic (audience knows something the characters don't). Examples include Oscar Wilde's *The Importance of Being Earnest* or Jane Austen's *Pride and Prejudice*.
* Wit: Characterized by cleverness and ingenuity in expression, often involving wordplay or puns. Examples include Shakespeare's comedies or the works of W.S. Gilbert.
* Absurdity: Exploits the illogical and nonsensical to create humor. This can involve defying expectations, using exaggerated situations, or juxtaposing incongruous elements. Examples include works by Samuel Beckett, Franz Kafka, and Monty Python.
* Farce: A type of comedy characterized by slapstick, physical humor, and often absurd situations. Think of Shakespeare's *The Comedy of Errors* or the films of the Marx Brothers.
* Black Humor: Explores dark or taboo subjects in a humorous way. This can be used to highlight the absurdity of life's tragedies or to challenge societal norms. Examples include Joseph Heller's *Catch-22* and Kurt Vonnegut's *Slaughterhouse-Five*.
* Self-Deprecating Humor: Making light of one's own flaws or shortcomings. Examples include stand-up comedians like Jerry Seinfeld or Woody Allen.
Beyond these categories:
* Humor can be based on character: A character's personality, quirks, or actions can be inherently funny.
* Humor can be situational: The circumstances of a story can be funny in themselves, even without relying on specific jokes or witty dialogue.
* Humor can be cultural: What's considered funny varies across cultures, so what's humorous in one society might not be in another.
It's important to remember that these categories are not mutually exclusive. Many works of literature use multiple types of humor to create their comedic effect.
Ultimately, the key to understanding humor in literature is to appreciate the writer's intention and how the humor serves the overall purpose of the story.