Julia Davis is a British comedian and sitcom writer. In interviews regarding her programs Nighty Night, Lizzie and Sarah,* and Hunderby she frequently cites her interest in deconstructing and representing instances of emotional violence and tragedy. Her programs often center on women negotiating these violent spaces - either enacting such violence on other women or victims of institutional and explicit misogyny. While topics such as Cancer, grief, domestic violence, and murder are “hilarious” Davis seamlessly blends tragedy and comedy so they are one and the same. The results are not so much uproariously laughter, but there is still provocation. This presentation seeks to decipher and analyze humor which does not necessarily seek laughter as a response, but is nonetheless penetrating. Using Julia Davis as an example, the presentation will discuss examples where the lines between tragedy and comedy are blurred, causing responses that conflict with understandings of what constitutes as “funny”.
About the presenterMelinda Maureen Lewis
Melinda Maureen Lewis earned her doctorate in American Culture Studies from Bowling Green State University. She is currently a Visiting Fellow for Drexel University’s Great Works Symposium. Her dissertation “ ‘That’s What She Said:’ Politics, Transgression, and Women’s Humor in Contemporary American Television” examines the relationship between gender, comedy, and ideology in constructing sitcoms.