Meta-Humor Technique

A Meta-Humor Technique is a self-referential comedy technique that creates meta-humor humor about meta-humor humor itself and meta-humor comedy conventions.

• AKA: Self-Aware Comedy Method, Meta-Comedy Technique, Self-Referential Humor, Comedy About Comedy.
• Context:
  • It can (typically) comment on Meta-Humor Joke Structures while meta-humor performing jokes.
  • It can (typically) acknowledge Meta-Humor Comedy Conventions during meta-humor performance.
  • It can (typically) break Meta-Humor Fourth Walls to discuss meta-humor comedic process.
  • It can (often) deconstruct Meta-Humor Humor Mechanisms for meta-humor audience.
  • It can (often) reference Meta-Humor Previous Jokes within meta-humor current material.
  • It can (often) critique Meta-Humor Comedy Industry through meta-humor comedic performance.
  • It can range from being a Subtle Meta-Reference to being an Explicit Commentary, depending on its directness level.
  • It can range from being a Brief Meta-Moment to being an Extended Meta-Analysis, depending on its duration scope.
  • It can range from being a Gentle Self-Awareness to being a Harsh Self-Critique, depending on its critical intensity.
  • It can range from being a Single-Layer Meta to being a Recursive Meta-Meta, depending on its reference depth.
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • Stand-Up Meta-Humors, such as:
    • Norm Macdonald Meta-Commentary, acknowledging joke length during performance.
    • Bo Burnham Performances, deconstructing comedy performance while performing.
    • Stewart Lee Routines, analyzing audience reactions within act.
  • Television Meta-Comedys, such as:
    • Community Meta-Episodes, commenting on television tropes.
    • Arrested Development Narrator, providing meta-commentary on plot.
  • Film Meta-Humors, such as:
    • Mel Brooks Films, parodying film conventions explicitly.
    • Deadpool Movies, breaking fourth wall constantly.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Sincere Comedy Performance, which avoids self-reference.
  • Immersive Comedy, which maintains fictional reality.
  • Traditional Joke Telling, which ignores structural awareness.
• See: Self-Reference, Fourth Wall Breaking, Anti-Humor Technique, Postmodern Comedy, Comedy Deconstruction, Audience Awareness Technique, Ironic Performance Style, Narrative Self-Consciousness, Parody Technique, Comedy Technique, Callback Comedy Technique, Subversive Comedy Genre.

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