Fiction, 2021
I think there are levels of comedy, and the funniest creations have all three.
There is low-tier comedy, including puns, mishaps, loud voices, and talking really fast or slow. Example: Brooklyn 99
There is a mid-tier comedy, which includes a cast of reactions to disastrous events that, when successfully pulled off, feel like a symphony. Example: Parks & Recreation
Lastly, we have high-tier comedy. This is rare because it only occurs when the very construction of the piece (song, film, book, whatever) has a meta-comic value while still containing the smaller elements of comedy (read: tier 1 and 2). Example: Bo Burnham’s Inside.
Everyone Knows Your Mother Is A Witch is a successful example of high-tier comedy. It has the easy confusion of multiple people having the same name, to the point where it’s easy to mistake a mother “nursing” her husband versus “nursing” her son. It has mid-tier laughs, coming from the characters of a tiny yet vigorous medieval village who have opinions on everything. And, of course, it has the big joke: that the only thing that has united us for centuries is our collective love of hating women—and making them pay for it.
We follow Katharina (also known as Kath-chen and Frau Kepler), an old widow who spends her days talking to her beloved cow, Chamomile, and visiting her various children. She has stamina and knowledge and carries these traits with a mildly annoying peskiness. This is enough for accusations of witchcraft to bubble. The novel is interspersed with Katharina’s monologue as she wades through an increasingly hostile landscape, an account of Simon—her next-door neighbour and friend, and court transcripts. Given that it’s the 1600s, the latter includes mentions of “God’s great anger” and Satan. Cool.
Song - Run For Your Life - The Beatles
Film - Mother! (if Jennifer Lawrence would talk constantly in it)
Happy new year! Thank you for tuning into my little corner of the internet, I hope you stay :) What were your book/film/song highlights of 2023?
I just purchased the e-book. Thanks for the recommendation!
Happy New Year! Reading this was a great start to mine!