2023-07-18 - The Quizzical Chronicles of Percival Q. Higginbottom

A black and white photograph of a vintage theatre, with a lone spotlight illuminating a microphone stand on the stage. The empty seats and eerie stillness of the image serve to symbolize the isolating, often somber nature of the subjects that dark humor tackles, while the spotlight on the microphone signifies the role of comedy in illuminating these difficult topics

Greetings, dear reader! It is I, Percival Q. Higginbottom, once again at your service. Today, I invite you to embark on a journey that dances on the razor’s edge between the comedic and the macabre. We venture into the world of dark humor, a genre often misunderstood and yet inherently fascinating. Dark humor, also known as black comedy or gallows humor, is an unusual breed of comedy that draws laughter from topics usually regarded as serious, somber, or taboo. These subjects might include death, disease, disaster, and all the other cruel jests life throws our way. Yet, in the hands of a skilled humorist, even these grim realities can become fodder for a wry chuckle or a rueful grin. So, why do we laugh when faced with the unsavory or the morose? Psychologists suggest that dark humor acts as a coping mechanism, a way for us to grapple with our […]

Whistling Past the Graveyard: An Exploration of Dark Humor

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