159 research outputs found
Special Editorial
No full textThis text is the section written by Ellie Tomsett for the 'Special Editorial' of Comedy Studies Vol 12 Is 2. This text sits alongside works by other international scholars reflecting on the impact of Covid 19 on live comedy industries around the world. This contribution focuses on the UK comedy industry and was written in March 2021
"May, Juncker and Farage walk into a bar...": comedy is playing a vital role in enabling people to come to terms with Brexit
No full textComedy is inherently linked to identity. Joking enables us to present ourselves and our view of the world to others while simultaneously inviting them to form connections with us through laughter. If you are 'in' on the joke, you form a connection with the joke-teller; you are (however briefly) a community united by humour. So what does this have to do with Brexit? Quite a bit, argues Ellie Tomsett (Birmingham City University)
Stand-up Comedy and Contemporary Feminisms : Sexism, Stereotypes and Structural Inequalities /
No full textWhat are the barriers to women's participation in live comedy, and how these barriers are maintained in the digital era? In this book, Ellie Tomsett considers how the origins of stand-up comedy still impact on current live comedy production, and explains how the contemporary stand-up scene still reflects wider societal stereotypes about the capabilities of women. Using primary data collected from women-only comedy nights and immersive research with the UK Women in Comedy Festival in Manchester, Tomsett analyses examples of stand-up performed by contemporary comedians - including Bridget Christie, Lolly Adefope, Luisa Omielan and Ava Vidal - and questions how these performances relate to conceptions of feminist and postfeminist humour, as well as notions of backlash against contemporary feminisms. She focuses on live comedy that is explicitly feminist to consider how social attitudes to women, the increasing visibility of female labour outside the home, and the emergence of multiple (and sometimes contradictory) feminisms has influenced the comedy produced by women comedians in 21st century Britain.Introduction 1. How did we get here?: The evolution of the UK comedy circuit and stereotypes regarding women and comedy. 2. Where are we now?: Challenges today for women comics. 3. Women-only comedy spaces: Addressing inequality on the UK comedy circuit. 4. Online to IRL: The impact of social media on stand-up comedy by women 5. Self-deprecation and beyond: Feminisms on the current circuit 6. An (un)equal and opposite reaction: The backlash and barriers facing feminist comedy 7. Time's Up for comedy sexism Conclusion Bibliography IndexWhat are the barriers to women's participation in live comedy, and how these barriers are maintained in the digital era? In this book, Ellie Tomsett considers how the origins of stand-up comedy still impact on current live comedy production, and explains how the contemporary stand-up scene still reflects wider societal stereotypes about the capabilities of women. Using primary data collected from women-only comedy nights and immersive research with the UK Women in Comedy Festival in Manchester, Tomsett analyses examples of stand-up performed by contemporary comedians - including Bridget Christie, Lolly Adefope, Luisa Omielan and Ava Vidal - and questions how these performances relate to conceptions of feminist and postfeminist humour, as well as notions of backlash against contemporary feminisms. She focuses on live comedy that is explicitly feminist to consider how social attitudes to women, the increasing visibility of female labour outside the home, and the emergence of multiple (and sometimes contradictory) feminisms has influenced the comedy produced by women comedians in 21st century Britain
Animal Man: Morrison\u27s Reflection on the Author
No full textGrant Morrison’s Animal Man debuted in DC Comics in 1988. For seven years as its author, Morrison explored themes of animal rights, conservationism, postmodernism, existentialism, and even free will all through their careful deconstruction of the superhero genre. In “Animal Man: Morrison’s Reflection on the author”, Ellie Harwood analyzes major portions of Morrison’s comic to identify their commentary on the relationship between people, animals, and fictional characters, and the moral ramifications of those relationships. Harwood achieves this through identifying the similarities between how Morrison portrays animals in the comic, as well as how they portray their own characters on a meta level, and the fundamental similarities between both parties. This essay primarily focuses on how the exploitation of animals is unequivocally tied to the process behind storytelling itself, and how both play into humanity’s intrinsic, primal desire for violence. By identifying the line Morrison draws between fiction and reality, then blurring it, the text’s moralistic claims become clear
De ombligo a ombligo: Notes on Embodiment and Translation
No full textA translation of the poem What will we know by Ellie Epp, translated by Juliana Borrero, with notes by the author and the translator.Traducción del poema What will we know de Ellie Epp acompañado de comentarios de la autora y de la traductora, Juliana Borrero.Traduction du poème What will we know, d'Ellie Epp, accompagnée de remarques de l'auteure et de la traductrice, Juliana Borrero.Tradução do poema What will we know, de Ellie Epp, por Juliana Borrero, com notas da autora e da tradutora
Positives and negatives: reclaiming the female body and self-deprecation in stand-up comedy
No full textDrawing on existing research into feminist humour, this article argues that many of the functions of self-deprecation within comic performance that have been identified and explored in relation to the American context of the late 90s and early 2000s are still evident on the current UK circuit. Self-deprecation in stand-up comedy by women continues to be understood as both positive (as part of the rise of popular feminisms) and negative (as reinforcing patriarchal norms). These contradictory understandings of self-deprecation in stand-up comedy are always inextricably linked to the identities of the audiences for such humour.
I consider how emergent female stand-up performers may rationalise and understand the role self-deprecation plays within their own work in the current British context. I then discuss the work of stand-up comedian Luisa Omielan as an example of the rejection of self-deprecatory address.
I make the argument that self-deprecation cannot function simply as positive or negative in the current UK context, but must always be considered (for both audiences and performers) as challenging and reinforcing restrictive patriarchal attitudes towards women simultaneously
A Conversation with Char Booth
No full textWelcome to a special audio edition of In the Library with the Lead Pipe. Ellie Collier talks to Char Booth, E-Learning Librarian at the University of California at Berkeley and author of Informing Innovation: Tracking Student Interest in Emerging Library Technologies at Ohio University, a book length research report recently published by ACRL and available [...
Twenty-first century fumerist : Bridget Christie and the backlash against feminist comedy
No full textThis article engages with the work of comedian Bridget Christie in relation to definitions of feminist and post-feminist comedy. The year 2013 was a highpoint in coverage and acclaim for feminist comedy and this article will explore how, at a time when the majority of female comedians operate from a post-feminist standpoint, Christie’s work seeks to politicise and galvanise her audience. The evolution of Christie’s work is explored in relation to the changes in her delivery style and the implications this has on the accessibility of her material to wider audiences. Additionally, the response of the wider U.K. comedy industry to the higher profile of feminist comedy and the reassertion of patriarchal masculinity in comedy is considered
A Conversation with Librarian-Editors
No full textIn brief: Ellie Collier interviews several librarian-editors about the publishing process, with a focus on “call for chapters” style books. Introduction: I began working on In the Library with the Lead Pipe in 2008 as a founding editor and author, despite hating to write. The prospect seemed too exciting to let my own dislike of writing […
You are never too young to learn about democracy
No full textThe question of how to ensure that young people understand their role in a democracy has yet to be properly answered, with turn-out amongst first time voters continuing to sag. Ellie Levenson, the author of a book which seeks to introduce toddlers to democracy, argues that normalising the activity of voting is the best way to contribute to solving this problem
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