Overview

A roadmap for understanding and creating comedy from the visionary Second City comedy director Great comedy can feel ineffable—and unlearnable. Debunking the myth that “either you are funny, or you aren’t,” Libera breaks the magic of comedy down into an innovative theory and practical toolkit. Developed over the course of thirty years as a director for The Second City and professor of comedy studies in their training center, Libera’s approach is effective across stand-up, sketch, film, and television comedy, as evidenced by her powerhouse students: Jordan Peele, Amy Poehler, Kristen Schaal, Steven Yeun, and many more of your favorites. This book starts with a way to think about comedy and then guides you through concrete strategies for making your work smarter, richer, funnier. Libera covers everything from generating material to revising and performing to fostering social connection through comedy. In the book’s final section, Libera draws from her personal life to make a profound case for why future comedy writers should consider the ethics of their art and their responsibility to their fellow human beings in the audience. Readers won’t just be funnier because of this book—they’ll be better people.

Full Product Details

Author:   Anne Libera ,  Ashley Nicole Black ,  Chelsea Devantez ,  Ariel Dumas
Publisher:   Northwestern University Press
Imprint:   Northwestern University Press
ISBN:  

9780810149366

ISBN 10:   0810149362
Pages:   376
Publication Date:   15 October 2025
Audience:   General/trade ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   Not yet available  
This item is yet to be released. You can pre-order this item and we will dispatch it to you upon its release.

Table of Contents

Foreword Introduction Part I: Thinking About Comedy Introduction A Theory of Comedy Recognition Distance Pain Comedy is Relative Comedy Theory Overview (please cut this section, per ACQ notes) The Five Components of Comedy Jokes Physical Comedy Character Narrative Point of View Thick and Thin Comedy Taste, Hack, and Watching Comedy as a Comedian Analyzing Comedy That Someone Else Has Created Humor Theory For Comedians Superiority Theory Incongruity Theory Tension and Release Theory Benign Violation Theory Evolutionary Theories of Humor and Laughter Not Exactly Humor Theory But As Long As We’re Here, Let’s Talk About Comedy and Your Brain Biases and Heuristics Anchoring Bias Salience Bias Story Coherence Tool—Context: Physical (Where Are You?) Tool—Context: Capitalism (Who is the Customer?) Putting the Frog Back Together Part I: Making It Funny Introduction Generating Comedy Materials and Ideas Types of Material Generation Prompts Creating Prompts That Use the Elements of Pain and Distance Material Generation Prompts Tool—Truth How to Write a Joke Defining Jokes How to Write a Joke How to Write a News Joke Creating Original Jokes Joke Filters How to Rewrite a Joke Jokes That Use Other Comedy Components Revising Jokes That Use More Than One Component Tool—Novelty and Surprise Performing Comedy Defining Comedy in Performance Tool—Discovery Tool—Explore and Heighten Defining Physical Comedy Making Physical Comedy Props Slapstick Tool—Status Performing Comedy Creating Comic Characters Defining Comic Character Creating Comedic Characters Tool—Character Space Walk More Ways to Create or Practice With Embodied Characters Playing With Character Point of View For Writers Good Comedy Hygiene: Character Tool—Useful Definitions Persona Defining Persona Creating Your Comic Persona Tool—Persona Worksheet Point of View Defining a Point of View Point of View 101: you Already Have a Point of View Comedic Opinion Tool—Useful Definitions (Irony and Sarcasm) Parody and Satire Creating Parody Creating Satire Tool—Useful Definitions (Parody and Satire) Creating Comedic Narratives Story and Narrative: A Quick Introduction Defining Comedic Narrative Tool—Useful Definitions (Farce) Comic Premise Starting With a Comic Idea Writing a Short Comedy Piece Sketch Sitcom Tool—Putting Characters Into Comedic Stories Tool—Thinking About Structure Variety Narratives Defining Variety Narratives How to Write a Simple Standup Set Sketch Running Order Running Order Outlines Running Order Hierarchy of Needs Part III: Making It Funnier Introduction Tool—Expectations Tool—Risk and Failure Tool—Taking a Comedy Class Next Steps of Revising Digging Into the Comedy Triad: Recognition, Pain, Distance Looking at Structure The Five Comedy Components The Obvious Part IV: Making It Better Introduction Thinking About Comedy Ethics Making Your Comedy More Ethical Comedy to Read and Watch Acknowledgments Notes

Reviews

​""I have admired Anne Libera as a teacher and a director for 40 years. This new book proves to me she's only gotten better."" --Stephen Colbert, American comedian, writer, and television host ""As a student of Anne's in my early days of comedy, she opened up a world of comedic history that helps me in my writing to this day. With Funnier, she continues to demystify and examine comedy for a whole new generation of students."" --Aidy Bryant, American actress and comedian ""I wish I had written Funnier. I might tell people that I did. No, I won't. I mean, maybe? But I wish I had. But you're lucky that Anne Libera wrote it because it's brilliant. Funnier will quickly become your go-to book for creating and analyzing comedy. It expertly weaves together comic theory and practical exercises, allowing the reader to both analyze and create comedy. Whether you're funny or not (and this book will definitely make you funnier), you're going to love this book."" --Matt Fotis, Albright College

Author Information

Anne Libera is an associate professor at Columbia College Chicago, where she created the first program in comedy writing and performance in the country. She teaches and directs for The Second City in Chicago and across the globe, and is the author of The Second City Almanac of Improvisation, also published by Northwestern University Press.

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