Surreal humour

Surreal humor (or surreal humour) is a form of humor. It wants to be funny by going against causal reasoning. This causes the humor to be illogical. The humor is created by irrational or absurd situations, or scenes which do not make any sense. The phenomenon is also called surreal comedy, absurdist humor, or absurdist comedy.

Surreal humor was made using surrealism, an art movement of the 20th century. French and Belgian artists started it. They showed illogical scenes while creating methods to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. The movement was foreshadowed by English writers in the 19th century, most notably Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear. The humor in surreal comedy comes from performing in a manner that contradicts audience expectations. It emphasizes the silliness and low chances of the situation occurring. The humor is created from uncertainty that is separate from a logical analysis of the situation.

Surreal humor in theater is usually about the insensitivity, paradox, absurdity, and cruelty of the modern world. Absurd and surrealist cinema often deals with elements of dark humor: disturbing or sinister subjects like death, disease, or warfare are treated with amusement and bitterness. This creates the appearance of an intention to shock and offend.