full transcript
From the Ted Talk by Jodie Houlston-Lau: How to make a sad story funny
Unscramble the Blue Letters
Comic relief is a tried-and-true way of creating the varied emotional texture a compelling story needs. So how can you create this effect in your own setoris? Whether you use characters, siitntaous, laugnage, or any combination of the three, tiinmg and contrast are crucial. Take the “Epic of Gilgamesh.” This ancient momoaaetpisn tale is possibly the oldest known work of literature, and yet the story rnmaies compelling today. As King Gilgamesh approaches the end of the world, he walks into a bar. We think we’re rcaiehng the climax of his story— only to have our expectations subverted. That brief rstpiee allows the tension to build even higher to a later, true climax. It both relieves and creates tension. This lesson also applies to modern stories: by briefly lightening the mood, you can build tension in your stories exactly when it’s needed.
Open Cloze
Comic relief is a tried-and-true way of creating the varied emotional texture a compelling story needs. So how can you create this effect in your own _______? Whether you use characters, __________, ________, or any combination of the three, ______ and contrast are crucial. Take the “Epic of Gilgamesh.” This ancient ____________ tale is possibly the oldest known work of literature, and yet the story _______ compelling today. As King Gilgamesh approaches the end of the world, he walks into a bar. We think we’re ________ the climax of his story— only to have our expectations subverted. That brief _______ allows the tension to build even higher to a later, true climax. It both relieves and creates tension. This lesson also applies to modern stories: by briefly lightening the mood, you can build tension in your stories exactly when it’s needed.
Solution
- mesopotamian
- respite
- stories
- remains
- language
- reaching
- timing
- situations
Original Text
Comic relief is a tried-and-true way of creating the varied emotional texture a compelling story needs. So how can you create this effect in your own stories? Whether you use characters, situations, language, or any combination of the three, timing and contrast are crucial. Take the “Epic of Gilgamesh.” This ancient Mesopotamian tale is possibly the oldest known work of literature, and yet the story remains compelling today. As King Gilgamesh approaches the end of the world, he walks into a bar. We think we’re reaching the climax of his story— only to have our expectations subverted. That brief respite allows the tension to build even higher to a later, true climax. It both relieves and creates tension. This lesson also applies to modern stories: by briefly lightening the mood, you can build tension in your stories exactly when it’s needed.
Frequently Occurring Word Combinations
ngrams of length 2
collocation |
frequency |
comic relief |
3 |
Important Words
- ancient
- applies
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- briefly
- build
- characters
- climax
- combination
- comic
- compelling
- contrast
- create
- creates
- creating
- crucial
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- emotional
- expectations
- gilgamesh
- higher
- king
- language
- lesson
- lightening
- literature
- mesopotamian
- modern
- mood
- needed
- oldest
- possibly
- reaching
- relief
- relieves
- remains
- respite
- situations
- stories
- story
- subverted
- tale
- tension
- texture
- timing
- today
- true
- varied
- walks
- work
- world