Nancy Bell will give a talk Friday, October 24, in our ongoing colloquium series. Her reading will be held in the Bundy Reading Room of Avery Hall from noon to 1 p.m. Her presentation is entitled “We Are Not Amused: Failed Humor in Interaction.” Everyone is welcome to attend.
“In this presentation, I share findings from my forthcoming book that represents, to my knowledge, the first comprehensive study of failed humor. I place failed humor within the broader category of miscommunication and draw on a range of conversational data to explore the phenomenon. I will briefly provide a framework for classifying the types of failure that can occur, examine the strategies used by both speakers and hearers to avoid and manage failure, and, in doing so, highlight the crucial role humor plays in social identity and relationship management.”
