This photograph, a cow with antlers standing on a pole, is an example of surreal humour.

Surreal humour is a form of humour, stylistically related to the artistic ambitions of the surrealists, based on bizarre juxtapositions, absurd situations, and nonsense logic. A common element of surreal humour is the non-sequitur, in which one statement is followed by another with no logical progression. Image File history File links Cow-on_pole,_with_horns. ... Image File history File links Cow-on_pole,_with_horns. ... COW is an acronym for a number of things: Can of worms The COW programming language, an esoteric programming language. ... For the Poet Laureate of Milwaukee, see Antler (Poet). ... Look up humor in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Yves Tanguy Indefinite Divisibility 1942 Surrealism[1] is a movement stating that the liberation of our mind, and subsequently the liberation of the individual self and society, can be achieved by exercising the imaginative faculties of the unconscious mind to the attainment of a dream-like state different from, or... Look up juxtaposition in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Absurd can refer to: Look up Absurd in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Absurdism is a philosophy born of Existentialism absurdity, with small a, is a form of Surreal humour Theatre of the Absurd is an artform utilizing the philosophy of Absurdism Absurd (band) is a heavy metal band This is... Nonsense is an utterance or written text in what appears to be a human language or other symbolic system, that does not in fact carry any identifiable meaning. ... Non sequitur is Latin for it does not follow. ...

History of surreal humour

Humour which we might now consider surreal has been around at least since the nineteenth century. Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass both use illogic and absurdity for humorous effect. Many of Edward Lear's nonsense stories and poems are also basically surreal in approach. Thus, Lear's The Story of the Four Little Children Who Went Round the World is filled with contradictory statements and odd images intended to provoke amusement, such as the following: Lewis Carroll. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There (1871) is a work of childrens literature by Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), and is the sequel to Alices Adventures in Wonderland. ... Edward Lear, 1812-1888 Eagle Owl, Edward Lear, 1837 Another Edward Lear owl, in his more familiar style Edward Lear (12 May 1812 – 29 January 1888) was an artist, illustrator and writer known for his nonsensical poetry and his limericks, a form which he popularised. ...

"After a time they saw some land at a distance; and when they came to it, they found it was an island made of water quite surrounded by earth. Besides that, it was bordered by evanescent isthmuses with a great Gulf-stream running about all over it, so that it was perfectly beautiful, and contained only a single tree, 503 feet high."

Despite such precursors, the name "surreal" first began to be used to describe a type of aesthetic in the early 20th century. At that time, several avant-garde movements calling themselves, variously, Dadaists, surrealists, and futurists began to argue for an art that was random, jarring, and illogical. The goals of these movements were in some sense serious, yet they were also committed to undermining the solemnity and self-satisfaction of the artistic establishment of their day. As a result, much of their art was -- intentionally -- quite funny. For example, in 1917 Marcel Duchamp placed an upside-down, signed urinal in an art exhibit. Duchamp's urinal is now one of the most famous and influential pieces of art in history — it is also, however, a joke, relying on an unexpected juxtaposition. A work similar to Marcel Duchamps Fountain Avant garde (written avant-garde) is a French phrase, one of many French phrases used by English speakers. ... Cover of the first edition of the publication, Dada. ... Yves Tanguy Indefinite Divisibility 1942 Surrealism[1] is a movement stating that the liberation of our mind, and subsequently the liberation of the individual self and society, can be achieved by exercising the imaginative faculties of the unconscious mind to the attainment of a dream-like state different from, or... Futurism was a 20th century art movement. ... Marcel Duchamp. ...

In addition to the avant-garde art movements, early surrealist comedy is found in the satirical and comedic elements of works of modern authors, who like Lear and Carroll, wrote stories which dispensed with the normal rules of logic, be it the dark comedy of Kafka, the stream of consciousness-style writings of James Joyce (and later stream-of-consciousness authors like Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs and Hunter S. Thompson), or the whimsical poetry of Dylan Thomas and E. E. Cummings. Surrealist humour is also found frequently in avant-garde theatre such as the droll Waiting for Godot and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. Humour in the avant-garde arts continues to this day. Artists like Yoko Ono, Andy Warhol, Donald Barthelme, Italo Calvino and many others have relied on this technique in their work. Franz Kafka approximately 1917 Franz Kafka (July 3, 1883 in Prague - June 3, 1924 in Vienna) was one of the major German language writers of the 20th century most of whose work was published posthumously. ... In psychology and philosophy stream of consciousness, introduced by William James, is the set of constantly changing inner thoughts and sensations which an individual has while conscious, used as a synonym for stream of thought. ... James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (Irish Seamus Seoighe; 2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish writer and poet, widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. ... Jack Kerouac (pronounced ) (March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969) was an American novelist, writer, poet, artist, and part of the Beat Generation. ... William Seward Burroughs II (1914 – August 2, 1997), more commonly known as William S. Burroughs, was an American novelist, essayist, social critic, painter and spoken word performer. ... Hunter Stockton Thompson (July 18, 1937 – February 20, 2005) was an American journalist and author. ... Dylan Marlais Thomas, (October 27, 1914 – November 9, 1953) was a Welsh poet and writer. ... E. E. Cummings Edward Estlin Cummings (October 14, 1894 – September 3, 1962), abbreviated E. E. Cummings, was an American poet, painter, essayist, and playwright. ... Vladimir (left) and Estragon (right) hold Pozzo aloft (from a production by Naqshineh Theatre). ... Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is a humorous, absurdist, tragic and existentialist play by Tom Stoppard, first staged at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe August 26, 1966. ... Yoko Ono Lennon (born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese musician and artist best known as the widow of John Lennon of The Beatles. ... Andy Warhol (August 6, 1928 — February 22, 1987) was an American artist associated with the definition of Pop Art. ... Donald Barthelme (April 7, 1931 - July 23, 1989) was an American author of short fiction and novels. ... Italo Calvino (October 15, 1923 – September 19, 1985) was an Italian writer and novelist. ...

Surrealist humour has played an important role in popular culture, especially since the radio show, The Goon Show. In the 1960s, surrealist humour was combined with counter-culture in movements such as the Youth International Party, Situationism, and Discordianism, as well as in the work of psychedelic musicians such as The Beatles, Frank Zappa, The Residents, The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, Pink Floyd, and Captain Beefheart. The Goon Show was a popular and influential British radio comedy programme, originally produced and broadcast by the BBC from 1951 to 1960 on the BBC Home Service. ... Dr. Seuss Jean Shepherd Ringo Starr John Steinbeck Gloria Steinem Tom Stoppard Hunter S. Thompson Gore Vidal Peter Vincent Kurt Vonnegut Andy Warhol Alan Watts Bob Weir Brian Wilson Tom Wolfe There were six Olympics held during the decade. ... The Youth International Party (whose adherents were known as Yippies, a variant on Hippies) was a highly theatrical political party established in the United States in 1967. ... ((incomplete)) Situationism refers to an artistic and philosophical movement, evolving from the letterist movement in the 1950s. ... Discordianism is a modern, chaos-based religion founded in either 1958 or 1959. ... Psychedelic music may refer to: Psychedelic rock, a subgenre of rock Psychedelic trance, a subgenre of trance Psychedelic folk, a subgenre of folk Psychedelic pop, a subgenre of pop Psychedelic soul, a subgenre of soul See also Acid breaks Acid house Acid jazz Acid punk Acid rap Acid rock Acid... The Beatles were an English rock band from Liverpool, comprised of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. ... Frank Vincent Zappa[1] (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American composer, guitarist, singer, film director, and satirist. ... The Residents are an avant garde music and visual arts group. ... The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band (more often the Bonzo Dog Band) was the brainchild of the British art-school set of the 1960s. ... Pink Floyd are an English rock band that earned recognition for their psychedelic rock music, and, as they evolved, for their avant-garde progressive rock music. ... Don Van Vliet (born Don Glen Vliet on January 15, 1941 in Glendale, California) is a musician and visual artist, best known by the pseudonym Captain Beefheart. ...

However, the most significant influence of surrealist humour on popular culture is probably Monty Python, most notably in their Goon Show-influenced TV series, Monty Python's Flying Circus, which featured a more lucid and intricate style of show structure and many more absurdities and non-sequiturs than the later show, Saturday Night Live. Since the influence of Monty Python, shows including humour of a primarily surrealistic nature include The Kids in the Hall, Mr. Show, the comedy programming of Adult Swim (especially Williams Street shows such as Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Harvey Birdman and 12 oz. Mouse), Spaced, Late Night, Green Wing, and the comedies of Reeves and Mortimer. In anime, FLCL is another example. Other good examples of more recent surrealist humour can be found in the radio and book series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Terry Pratchett's Discworld book series, numerous graphic novels such as Flaming Carrot, and films by such directors as Federico Fellini, David Lynch and David Zucker. Numerous websites also involve surreal humor, including Something Awful, White Ninja Comics, Men In Hats, Homestar Runner and LickMyJesus.com [1]. The hit television shows South Park, Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, Family Guy, Futurama, and The Mighty Boosh all use surrealism as a major part of their appeal. Monty Python, or The Pythons, is the collective name of the creators of Monty Python’s Flying Circus, a British television comedy sketch show that first aired on the BBC on 5 October 1969. ... The Goon Show was a hugely popular and extremely influential British radio comedy programme, which was originally produced and broadcast by the BBC from 1951 to 1960 on the BBC Home Service. ... This article discusses the series itself. ... Saturday Night Live (SNL) is a weekly late night 90-minute American comedy-variety show based in New York City which has been broadcast by NBC on Saturday nights since October 11, 1975. ... The Kids in the Hall was a Canadian sketch comedy group, consisting of comedians Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson that was formed in 1984. ... Mr. ... The Adult Swim logo Adult Swim, usually rendered [adult swim] based on its logo, is the name for the adult-oriented television programming block on Cartoon Network in the United States and Australia, and Bravo in the United Kingdom, featuring absurdist and often ribald comedy in contrast to the tamer... Williams Street (formerly known as Ghost Planet Industries after Space Ghosts home base) is a division of Cartoon Network, which is owned by Turner Broadcasting, an operational unit of Time Warner. ... Space Ghost at his desk Space Ghost: Coast to Coast is a spoof talk show on the cable TV channel, Cartoon Network. ... Aqua Teen Hunger Force (also known as ATHF or simply Aqua Teen) is an U.S.-American animated television series shown on Cartoon Network as part of its Adult Swim late-night programming block. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law is a comedic television animated series that airs on Cartoon Network during its Adult Swim late night programming block. ... 12 oz. ... Spaced is a British television situation comedy written by and starring Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson, directed by Edgar Wright, and broadcast on Channel 4. ... Late Night is shorthand for several different things: Late night television - generally United States programming airing after 11:30pm EST Late Night with David Letterman (1982 to 1993) Late Night with Conan OBrien (1993 to present) See also, The Late Show (disambiguation) for similar shows and topics. ... Green Wing is an award winning British television comedy, set in a hospital. ... Vic Reeves (born 24 January 1959, real name Jim Moir) and Bob Mortimer (born 23 May 1959), more commonly known simply as Vic and Bob or Reeves and Mortimer, are a British comedy double act. ... The main cast of the anime Cowboy Bebop (1998) (L to R: Spike Spiegel, Jet Black, Ed Tivrusky, Faye Valentine, and Ein the dog) For the oleo-resin, see Animé (oleo-resin). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The cover of the first novel in the Hitchhikers series, from a late 1990s printing. ... Terence David John Pratchett OBE (born April 28, 1948, in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, England[1]) is an English fantasy author, best known for his Discworld series. ... // This article is about the novels. ... Flaming Carrot Comics is a surrealist comic book by Bob Burden between 1979 and 1993. ... Federico Fellini Federico Fellini (January 20, 1920 – October 31, 1993) was one of the most influential and widely revered Italian film-makers of the 20th century and is considered to be one of the finest film directors of all time. ... For other persons named David Lynch, see David Lynch (disambiguation). ... David Zucker (born October 16, 1947 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American film director. ... The references in this article would be clearer with a different and/or consistent style of citation, footnoting or external linking. ... Men In Hats was a popular webcomic by cartoonist Aaron Farber, done in computer vector graphics. ... It has been suggested that Teen Girl Squad and Cheat Commandos be merged into this article or section. ... South Park is an American, Emmy Award-winning animated television comedy series about four fourth grade school boys who live in the small town of South Park, Colorado. ... For the character of the same name, see Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo (character) Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo ) (sometimes known as Bo x 7, Bo^7, or Bo-bobo) is a manga by Yoshio Sawai, published by Shueisha in Japan and serialized in that countrys Weekly Shonen Jump magazine. ... Family Guy is an American animated television series about a nuclear family in the suburb of Quahog (IPA or ), Rhode Island. ... Futurama is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening (creator of The Simpsons) and David X. Cohen for the Fox Network. ... The Mighty Boosh is a British cult comedy which has taken on several incarnations as a series of stage shows, a BBC radio series and a BBC Three TV series. ...

See also

• Surrealism
• Non-joke
• Mo lei tau

Yves Tanguy Indefinite Divisibility 1942 Surrealism[1] is a movement stating that the liberation of our mind, and subsequently the liberation of the individual self and society, can be achieved by exercising the imaginative faculties of the unconscious mind to the attainment of a dream-like state different from, or... This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... Mo lei tau (無厘頭, Jyutping: mo4 lei4 tau4), loosely translated as makes no sense, is a type of comedy typified by Stephen Chows movies. ...

External links

• Mister Carbon Business - A set of surrealist stories
• Bust Down the Door and Eat All the Chickens - A literary journal that publishes stories of surreal humor