Dark humour

[LaRascasse]

This is one genre I find missing in the site. Putting a humorous spin on a serious subject matter (think of the movie "Dr. Strangelove" by Stanley Kubrick)

I have attempted it through a series <http://www.literotica.com/s/an-unlikely-romance-ch-01>. Let me know if this story could thrill, shock, arouse and make you laugh all at once.

 

[SevenSquared]

Well, I read the whole thing (so far) and I really liked it, I think it's an amazing story. I have to admit I didn't find it remotely erotic, but it stood fine on its own as a cop thriller and somewhere out there is a film producer who would love to get their hands on it. I don't see how it relates to humour though as the story does not seem to contain any. Have I monumentally missed the point somewhere?

 

[LaRascasse]

Well, I read the whole thing (so far) and I really liked it, I think it's an amazing story. I have to admit I didn't find it remotely erotic, but it stood fine on its own as a cop thriller and somewhere out there is a film producer who would love to get their hands on it. I don't see how it relates to humour though as the story does not seem to contain any. Have I monumentally missed the point somewhere?

There is a decent amount of sex in it. Almost every chapter except the last one had at least one sexual situation.

The dark humour is everywhere, just in chapter 1: "for the most part, she seemed to enjoy it.", "who kills on a weekend?" to name a few. Dark humour and sarcasm are closely linked.

 

[SevenSquared]

Oh yes, I didn't say there was no sex in it, just that I didn't find it erotic. I'm not sure if it was because the sex itself wasn't to my taste or whether I was so engrossed in the story that I was mentally thinking 'blah blah blah' through the sex scenes wanting the story to get going again. I guess the fact that only one sex scene is really described in any detail (his first sex with Monica) contributes to this too.

As for the humour, weeeeellllllllll I noticed the lines you mentioned, plus some others, but I'm not sure that on their own they are enough to really push the story into the dark humour genre. I would just call it thriller with a bit of witty dialogue. Although everybody's sense of humour is different, so take that with a pinch of salt. So I guess in short for me:

Thrill - Yes
Shock - Yes
Arouse - No
Make me Laugh - No, although I did appreciated the clever dialogue.

 

[LaRascasse]

I'll take it as a complement that you found the story engrossing enough to skip the sexual bits.

On that note, I have a question for the most experienced writers on this thread.

What exactly is an "erotic story"?

a> a good story, with solid plots and characters and incidental sex between them. The sex is not necessarily the focal point of the story, it just accentuates the characters. Like a good story with more than an average amount of sex. (I try writing these)

b> a montage of unrealistic (bordering on bizarre) sexcapades between the characters. They are just emotionless, characterless sexbots who keep going at it like cymbals. There is incessant, unrelenting sex from the first paragraph right to the last line for no apparent reason. Aspects like plot and structure gone to hell.

I have personally read some really good stories on this site that fall in category 'a', most recently lovecraft68's SWB series and have tried to work along those lines. It would suck to have to switch to type 'b' stories.

Advice?!

 

[SevenSquared]

What exactly is an "erotic story"?

a> a good story, with solid plots and characters and incidental sex between them.
b> a montage of unrealistic (bordering on bizarre) sexcapades between the characters.

If you want useful answers to that question you're going to have to ask it in a way that isn't so blatantly leading.

 

[sr71plt]

I have several dark humor ones. Readers here tend not to "get" it or to reward it very well--at least in my experience.

 

[lost_in_you]

Definite change of pace

I ran across this story the other night and stayed up late reading every chapter. The main male character made me laugh a few times but I wouldn't have classified the entire story line as 'dark humore'. What there was of his sense of humor wasn't obvious but I liked it.

I really hoped for a different ending, one more redeeming but, to play Devil's Advocate, it was refreshing to see a story line that wasn't exactly cookie cutter.

I think if you worked a bit more on the thriller/humor side of it, you could do well with the category.

 

[Etaski]

The dark humour is everywhere, just in chapter 1: "for the most part, she seemed to enjoy it.", "who kills on a weekend?" to name a few. Dark humour and sarcasm are closely linked.

*wince* Ooo, I'm afraid not. Black comedy is very hard to pull off. I admire it a great deal, but I know I'm not talented enough to do it. Some of my favorite black comedy novels are the classic Catch-22, A Confederacy of Dunces, and to a much more recent nod, The Postmortal by Drew Magary. Gary Larson of "the Far Side" fame is actually a master at black comedy.

Dark humor is not sarcasm and cynicism. Any teenager can be snide. It takes much more than that.

The black comedy that sticks in people's minds manages to make light of morbid, taboo, and/or serious topics so that the audience is made to feel both amused and discomforted (usually people's mouths are dropped open and thinking, "What the hell?? Well...it's kinda funny when you but it that way, but....ergh!". (Not to be confused with "blue comedy", which makes light of vulgar, disgusting, or revolting topics.)

It sounds like you wrote a very good thriller to come well recommended. But I can predict that a "black comedy" section would not have many stories in it that actually fit the category, and as sr71plt already said, most people would not "get it" or appreciated it in any case.

 

[LaRascasse]

I ran across this story the other night and stayed up late reading every chapter. The main male character made me laugh a few times but I wouldn't have classified the entire story line as 'dark humore'. What there was of his sense of humor wasn't obvious but I liked it.

I really hoped for a different ending, one more redeeming but, to play Devil's Advocate, it was refreshing to see a story line that wasn't exactly cookie cutter.

I think if you worked a bit more on the thriller/humor side of it, you could do well with the category.

Would you have preferred another ending? I made this ending mainly for the sequel.

If you liked An Unlikely Romance, you should like Gangster's Moll as well. Check out what Monica is up to there.

 

[LaRascasse]

*wince* Ooo, I'm afraid not. Black comedy is very hard to pull off. I admire it a great deal, but I know I'm not talented enough to do it. Some of my favorite black comedy novels are the classic Catch-22, A Confederacy of Dunces, and to a much more recent nod, The Postmortal by Drew Magary. Gary Larson of "the Far Side" fame is actually a master at black comedy.

Dark humor is not sarcasm and cynicism. Any teenager can be snide. It takes much more than that.

The black comedy that sticks in people's minds manages to make light of morbid, taboo, and/or serious topics so that the audience is made to feel both amused and discomforted (usually people's mouths are dropped open and thinking, "What the hell?? Well...it's kinda funny when you but it that way, but....ergh!". (Not to be confused with "blue comedy", which makes light of vulgar, disgusting, or revolting topics.)

It sounds like you wrote a very good thriller to come well recommended. But I can predict that a "black comedy" section would not have many stories in it that actually fit the category, and as sr71plt already said, most people would not "get it" or appreciated it in any case.

I know more than most how tough it is to pull off.

My favourite black comedies would run- Dr Strangelove, Withnail and I, Fargo, A Serious Man, War Inc .

I absolutely love Stanley Kubrick and the Coen brothers for the stunning way they make these movies. They at once make you squirm and laugh inwardly. Some of the Monty Python vignettes are also pretty good examples.

On the literary front- Roald Dahl's short stories are the absolute masterclass in black humour and macabre twists of fate. I cannot count the number of times I have simultaneously laughed and said omfg when reading those stories. Pure Genius. Same with his novel My Uncle Oswald.

This story was highly experimental. I knew right from the start there would be hiccups and tried navigating them. Anyway, it's done and dusted. The sequel ("Gangster's Moll") has 2 chapters out and the next in concept phase. It would be great if someone could tell me how that is going.

Etaski, I am curious though- what did you think of the ending?

 

[Etaski]

I know more than most how tough it is to pull off.

My favourite black comedies would run- Dr Strangelove, Withnail and I, Fargo, A Serious Man, War Inc .

I absolutely love Stanley Kubrick and the Coen brothers for the stunning way they make these movies. They at once make you squirm and laugh inwardly. Some of the Monty Python vignettes are also pretty good examples.

Fargo...yeah, that's an excellent example. Monty Python... Ha! oh yeah.

I wonder that it seems like most of the "black jesters" whose work I admire seem to come by the talent naturally. It develops early and over time they simply distinguish themselves.

On the literary front- Roald Dahl's short stories are the absolute masterclass in black humour and macabre twists of fate. I cannot count the number of times I have simultaneously laughed and said omfg when reading those stories. Pure Genius. Same with his novel My Uncle Oswald.

Ronald Dahl of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"....? *ponders* Huh, I've never read any of his "for adult" works, but I could see where the potential lies ("Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" rather does have a few morbidly funny moments, doesn't it?)

Etaski, I am curious though- what did you think of the ending?

Already pm'ed you on that one.

 

[nakdsub]

I wish I was good enough...

to write humor. I would love to write a romantic comedy, but I believe the comedy writers themselves who say that comedy writing is the toughest kind of writing there is.