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Jerry Seinfeld's Observational Comedy

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Observational Comedy is one of the most popular forms of comedy today. The underlying concept is rooted in converting a normal observation into an opportunity for laughter. The comedian asks the audience to consider a common occurrence, but provides analysis or discussion that offers a humorous perspective on the matter. Often times, this will begin with a leading question such as “Have you ever wondered ....” with the observation following. The humor is borne out of the balance of two seemingly opposing concepts of relatability and obscurity. Comedians Richard Herring and Jo Caulfield described this balance by saying if the joke is “too obvious an observation it won't be funny ...and if it's too oblique then it won't hit home.” (Herring and Caulfield 2008) Therein lies an integral truth about the nature of such comedy: Comedy cannot be understood outside of its social context, and this is especially true for observational comedy. Each observational joke or act is built upon the world around the audience and comedian. Therefore, in a sense observational comedy has its own self-updating mechanism. An observational joke made in the 2015, would not necessarily be an observational joke during the time of the genre’s birth.
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His unique style was a clean and catchy form of observational humor. Most of his humor eschewed any charged political commentary or swear words, which broadened his audience. Seinfeld’s jokes often were prefaced with the phrase “what’s the deal with ___?” or “Have you ever ...?” These phrases defined the Seinfeld brand of comedy, and were also were easy for audience members to imitate on their own. By the end of the 80s, Seinfeld’s had grown, and he wanted to move his act onto television. Little did he know that this new business venture would change observational comedy

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