Comedy
Comedy is a genre in which a work is created with the purpose of generating a humor response in the audience. How this response is brought about varies greatly from one work to another. This range can be seen in the extended Daria media, running from the low-brow, stupid-funny jokes of Beavis and Butt-head to the more intelligent and sophisticated fare present in Daria itself.
Due to the broad stylistic dimensions of the genre, there are several sub-genres hosted within its borders. As such, it tends to combine very well with other genres, such as adventure, fantasy, science-fiction, and even angst.
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Comedy in Daria Canon
Daria was primarily a comedic show, utilizing satire, sarcasm, and situational humor toward that effect. Low-brow humor and slapstick would appear from time to time as well, usually in the form of characters such as Kevin, Brittany, and Upchuck. A few episodes also featured parodies of other works.
While the comedy remained a strong focus throughout the series, the fourth and fifth seasons took a turn toward more dramatic storylines, pushing further into dramatic comedy territory.
Comedy in Daria Fanworks
Comedy holds a prominent place in the Daria fandom, even if it sometimes gets buried deep within other genres. Even the Angst Lords like to have a chuckle every once in a while, and some of the Cheer Lords specialize in comedic fanworks.
Examples
- Bringing the Cheer by Jim North
- Cat Fight by minx
- Chillin' With the Brisco by Roentgen
- Daria Cheerleader by Beatnik Shaggy
- Don't Bet On It by Galen Hardesty
- Don't Look Daria! by Vlora
- Don't Sweat the Mall Stuff by Kristen Bealer
Comedy vs. Dramatic Comedy
Dramatic comedy is a genre that combines elements of comedy with drama. There is some confusion in the fandom as to where comedy ends and dramatic comedy begins, which typically leads to overlap in the nominations for these two categories in the Daria Fanworks Awards. As it is difficult to quantify exactly how much infused drama causes the flip from one genre to the other, a hard line may never be drawn between them.
