PJ Seminar: A Master Class on Writing Humorous Fiction with Rajesh Parameswaran

How can we think about humor in short stories? What makes a story funny, or not? Is it the premise, the writing, the characters? What’s the difference between funny literary fiction, humor writing, and stand-up comedy? Are we ruining the joke by asking these questions?

In this class, we will examine approaches to writing humorous fiction. We’ll analyze stories in terms of the writer’s handling of plot, character, and most importantly, tone. We’ll start to develop a feeling for what works and what doesn’t in humorous fiction.

This class will include an in-class writing exercise and there will be time for a Q&A. There will be outside reading – texts may include a selection from the following authors: Elif Batuman, ZZ Packer, Wells Tower, Franz Kafka, Nikolai Gogol.