Canadian Humor

Canadian humour is an integral part of the Canadian identity. There are several traditions in Canadian humour in both English and French. While these traditions are distinct and at times very different, there are common themes that relate to Canadians' shared history and geopolitical situation in North America and the world. Though neither universally kind nor moderate, humorous Canadian literature has often been branded by author Dick Bourgeois-Doyle as "gentle satire," evoking the notion embedded in humorist Stephen Leacock's definition of humour as "the kindly contemplation of the incongruities of life and the artistic expression thereof."

The primary characteristics of Canadian humour are irony, parody, and satire. Various trends can be noted in Canadian comedy. One thread is the portrayal of a "typical" Canadian family in an ongoing radio or television series. Examples include '' La famille Plouffe'', with its mix of drama, humour, politics and religion and sitcoms such as '' King of Kensington'' and '' La Petite Vie''. Another major thread tends to be political and cultural satire: television shows such as '' CODCO,'' '' Royal Canadian Air Farce'', ''La Fin du monde est à 7 heures'' and '' This Hour Has 22 Minutes,'' monologuists such as Yvon Deschamps and Rick Mercer and writers, including Michel Tremblay, Will Ferguson and Eric Nicol draw their material from Canadian and Québécois society and politics. Other comedians portray absurdity; these include the television series '' The Kids in the Hall'' and '' The Frantics,'' and musician-comedians such as The Arrogant Worms, Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie and Bowser and Blue. Elements of satire are to be found throughout Canadian humour, evident in each of these threads, and uniting various genres and regional cultural differences.

As with other countries, humour at the expense of regional and ethnic stereotypes can be found in Canada. Examples are ' Newfie' jokes (with 'Newfie' being a colloquial term for a person from the island of Newfoundland) and jokes revolving around English-speaking Canadians' stereotype of French Canadians, and vice versa.

Humber College in Toronto and the École nationale de l'humour in Montreal offer post-secondary programs in comedy writing and performance. Montreal is also home to the bilingual ( English and French) Just for Laughs festival and to the Just for Laughs museum, a bilingual, international museum of comedy.

Literature

According to author Stephen Scobie, Canadian humorous writing has tended more towards prose than poetry.Scobie, Stephe
"Humorous Writing in English"
''The Canadian Encyclopedia.'' Retrieved on: March 24, 2008. An early work of Canadian humour, Thomas McCulloch's ''Letters of Mephibosheth Stepsure'' (1821–23) appeared in the Halifax weekly ''Acadian Recorder''. Northrop Frye described McCulloch's satirical letters as "quiet, observant, deeply conservative in a human sense"; he asserted that McCulloch's persona, the "conventional, old-fashioned, homespun" farmer, was an extension of a centuries-old satiric tradition, and that the letters set the tone for later comedic writing in Canada.

Compared to McCulloch's dry and understated style, Thomas Chandler Haliburton showed the same conservative social values in the brash, overstated character of Sam Slick, the Yankee Clockmaker. Haliburton's Sam Slick persona in ''The Clockmaker'' (1836), as Arthur Scobie notes in ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'', "proved immensely popular and, ironically, has influenced American humour as much as Canadian."

Authors responded with folk humour and satire to the domination of 19th-century French Canadian culture by the Catholic Church. Napoléon Aubin satirized Quebec public life in his journals ''Le Fantasque'' (1837–45) and ''Le Castor'' (1843), and through his theatre troupe, ''Les Amateurs typographiques, '' established in 1839. He was imprisoned during that same year for his views. This cosmopolitan tradition is also seen in the journalism of Arthur Buies, editor of ''La Lanterne canadienne'' (1868–69), a highly satirical journal of that era.Lacombe, Michell
"Humorous Writing in French"
''The Canadian Encyclopedia.'' Retrieved on: March 24, 2008.

Light comedy that mocked local customs was typical of 19th-century theatre in Quebec. Examples include Joseph Quesnel's ''L'Anglomanie, ou le dîner à l'angloise'' (1803), which criticized the imitation of English customs, and Pierre Petitclair's ''Une partie de campagne'' (1865). More serious dramas attacked specific targets: the anonymous ''Les Comédies du status quo'' (1834) ridiculed local politics, and ''Le Défricheteur de langue'' (1859) by Isodore Mesplats, (pseudonym of Joseph LaRue and Joseph-Charles Taché), mocked Parisian manners. Other examples of theatrical satire were Félix-Gabriel Marchand's comedy, ''Les faux brillants'' (1885) and Louvigny de Montigny's ''Les Boules de neige'' (1903), which took aim at Montreal's bourgeoisie. Humorous magazines in French included ''La Guêpe'', "journal qui pique", published in Montreal 1857–1861.

By the early 20th century, the satirical tradition was well developed in English Canada as exemplified in the writing of Stephen Leacock. In '' Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town'' (1912), Leacock, already known for his satirical wit, used tragic irony and astute insight in examining day-to-day, small-town life. The book remains a classic of Canadian literature, and was followed by ''Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich'' in 1914. An annual Canadian literary award, the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour, is named in his memory. The award is presented to the year's best work of humorous literature by a Canadian. Donald Jack, three-time winner of the Leacock Medal, wrote a number of comedies for the stage, radio, and television, but is best known for his nine-part series of novels about aviator Bartholomew Bandy.

Following the ''Révolution tranquille'' in Quebec, theatrical satire reappeared in 1968 with Michel Tremblay's play '' Les Belles sœurs,'' written in Québécois joual. The controversial play picked apart the myth of a stable bourgeois Quebec society with a mix of realistic comedy and allegorical satire. Following Tremblay's lead, Jean Barbeau exposed Quebec popular culture in ''La Coupe stainless'' (1974). Tremblay and Barbeau set the stage for reviews such as ''Broue'' (1979), a collective production, which toured English-speaking Canada as ''Brew'' (1982).

Humorous fiction in French Canada draws from the oral tradition of folk songs and folktales which were the common coin of humour in the 19th century. Only a few of these folk tales surfaced in writing prior to the 20th century. However, contemporary writers such as Jacques Ferron (''Contes du pays incertain,'' 1962) in Quebec and Antonine Maillet in Acadian New Brunswick (''La Sagouine,'' 1974, and ''Pélagie-la-Charette,'' 1979), rely extensively on folk humour and popular culture. Other Quebec writers noted for their humour include Roger Lemelin, Gérard Bessette, Jacques Godbout, Roch Carrier and Yves Beauchemin. Beauchemin's picaresque novel ''Le Matou'' (1981) is the all-time best-selling novel in Quebec literature.

The plain talking alter-ego as an instrument of satire continued with Robertson Davies' series of Samuel Marchbanks books (1947–67) and John Metcalf's James Wells in ''General Ludd'' (1980). Davies is one of many Canadian writers of "serious" literature who were also known for humour in their work. Margaret Atwood, Farley Mowat, Paul Quarrington, Mordecai Richler, Raymond Fraser, Carol Shields, W. O. Mitchell, Ray Guy, Pierre Berton, M.A.C. Farrant and Miriam Toews are all well-known writers of mainstream literature who have also been acknowledged for using humour and wit in their writing. Many other writers of Canadian humour have been published as newspaper or magazine commentators, including Gary Lautens, Richard J. Needham, Joey Slinger, Will Ferguson, Marsha Boulton and Linwood Barclay.

Humour is also central to the work of Canadian children's writers such as Gordon Korman, Dennis Lee and Robert Munsch.

Music

Particularly in recent years, Canada has produced a number of musical groups who have been described as "comedy rock". Bands such as Barenaked Ladies, Odds, Crash Test Dummies, The Awkward Stage and Rheostatics are sometimes misunderstood as being strictly novelty bands, but in fact many of their songs use humour to illuminate more serious themes. A number of other acts, such as Corky and the Juice Pigs, Arrogant Worms, Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie and Bowser and Blue write specifically comedic songs.

Nancy White is a noted Canadian musical satirist, whose comedic folk songs about Canadian culture and politics have regularly appeared on CBC Radio programs.

In addition to more serious material on his primary albums, folk musician Geoff Berner — who has also run for political office as a candidate of the Rhinoceros Party — frequently releases pointedly satirical songs, such as "Official Theme Song for the 2010 Vancouver / Whistler Olympic Games (The Dead Children Were Worth It!)", as free downloads from his website.

Don Ast, a stand-up comedian who performed in character as befuddled Ukrainian immigrant Nestor Pistor, had his greatest popular success with an album in which he sang country songs in character as Pistor. His single "Winestoned Plowboy", a parody of Glen Campbell's " Rhinestone Cowboy", was a hit on Canada's country music charts in 1977;"RPM Country Playlist"
''RPM'', February 12, 1977. Pistor returned to more conventional standup comedy thereafter, but received three Juno Award nominations for Comedy Album of the Year in the next three years.

Jann Arden, a singer-songwriter renowned for writing sad love songs, is also paradoxically known as one of Canada's funniest live performers, whose witty, unpretentious stage patter about herself and her family is as much a part of her relationship with her audience as her music is. Hip hop musician Shad