What Is a Farce In Literature?

A farce is a joyful comedy with a preposterous narrative that frequently incorporates exaggerated and unlikely situations. This technique typically lack character development, relying instead on absurdity, physical humor, and deft manipulation of a circumstance. Farce instances frequently occur in a single location where all events take place. This might give the impression of a pressure cooker, where all ingredients are thrown together to produce something completely absurd.

Surprisingly, the original meaning of farce had to do with cookery. The English term "farce" was derived from the French word "stuffing" in the fourteenth century. When it came to "stuffing" religious texts and works with buffoonery, the word farce took on a figurative sense. The best example of this literary genre is in Shakespeare's The Comedy of Errors.

Origins of the Genre

This genre arose in 15th-century Europe as a means of making serious subjects, such as religious texts, laughable. Acrobatics and clowning, which are still present in the physical humor of current farces, as well as the reversal and perversion of societal laws and standards, were all evident in these early farce instances.

On the other hand, this technique lacks the sharp social criticism of satire and may not always have a deeper significance. Instead, it is primarily concerned with providing entertainment. Indeed, Seinfeld, one of the most well-known comedic television programs of all time, is sometimes referred to as "a show about nothing."

Farce in Popular Culture

The goal of incorporating comedy into literature is to delight the reader. The fundamental goal of this sort of poor humor is to make the audience laugh. These amusing episodes may be used to release tension caused by more serious parts in literary works that aren't fully farcical.

The film Monty Python is a good example of a farce. Many absurd circumstances are depicted in this film, such as the men's meeting with an awful beast. This beast appears to be an innocent little bunny, but it suddenly transforms into a deadly rabbit, causing hilarity as it assaults the knights. To keep the audience entertained, the television show Saturday Night Live mainly relies on comical sketches.

Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest is a great example of comedy and one of the funniest comedies ever written. Many of the usual conventions are on show here, including the misidentification of the genuine Ernest (hint: no one).

More hilarity and confusion over identification may be found in the following passage from the play, as Jack tries to persuade Algernon that a girl named Cecily is actually his aunt. Cecily's eventual engagement to Algernon-as-Ernest is one of several ludicrous and unbelievable events that follow.

The Goal

A farcical comedy's primary goal is to make the audience laugh. Farces are commonly seen in theatre and movies, but they can also be found in other literary works. In reality, stereotypical characters and exaggeration are used in all of these media to produce humor.

A farce may appear to be just amusing at first glance, but due to the usage of satirical elements, they frequently have deeper connotations. They are frequently incoherent in terms of storylines; as a result, spectators are not encouraged to follow the plot in order to prevent being overwhelmed and bewildered. They also involve strange coincidences and often mock human and human societal shortcomings.