Post History

Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/46454
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

> My question has been provoked by the fact that I have a very spicy joke for a specific situation in a sci-fi story and I'm not sure how readers would react to that.

I'll stick to this specific situation. A discussion about _what is funny_, and _how humor works_ is way too broad.

## "No movie is worth a scene, no scene is worth a line."

In other words, this joke can't be the payoff to the situation. The scene has to stand on its own. It can't appear to be working towards this punchline.

An inappropriate joke might slip at an inappropriate time. It's funnier, and probably more believable if it's completely out of left field.

## Text and Subtext

It's unclear whether the spicy joke is something said _by a character_, or by the narrator/author.

Either way there is the _text_ of the joke itself, and the _subtext_ that gives it meaning in the situation. Subtext isn't a _hidden_ meaning, it's the context and tone in the moment that changes how we interpret the literal text.

A sarcastic comment that breaks tension reads differently from a sarcastic comment after a defeat – same line, but very different effect. That's the subtext.

I'm assuming "spicy" joke is something sexual. There is one character (or narrator) saying the line at another character's expense, or maybe a demographic in general. Someone is the butt of this sexual joke – present or not. Jokes that "punch up" feel less hateful than jokes that "punch down". There are narrative aspects about the _status_ of the people involved. Maybe an uptight character needs to be taken down a peg. Maybe a little old lady suddenly has a potty mouth. Maybe one character is pushing another character's boundaries, or sex is actually all they really think about and it indicates they are becoming more comfortable (if inappropriate).

All of this context will bleed onto your subtext to change the reading of the joke. It won't just be an encapsulated off-color moment, it will be shaded by everything else in the scene and authorial intent. Construction workers sharing a rude joke at the expense of a "rich bitch" has character implications (judging her authenticity? Sour grapes? Boundary-testing?), verses high school teachers making sexual jokes at the expense of students, or corporate executives preying on the interns, which will never stop being gross and creepy.

Original score: 3