humor for dark fantasy?

[Flawed Creation]

i have a fantasy WIP. it's rather dark and depressing.

could i add some humor to make it more enjoyable?

[aka eraser]

If it works in the context of the characters and the story. Perhaps dark, sardonic humour? Sarcastic asides? If you have a sense of humour I think you'll find it imbuing one or more of your characters as a matter of course.

What makes you laugh? Would something similar make one or more of your characters laugh?

[rtilryarms]

Or you can take out the rather dark and depressing stuff.

[Yeshanu]

If it works in the context of the characters and the story. Perhaps dark, sardonic humour? Sarcastic asides?

If you're going to put in humour, I'd recommend following Frank's suggestion.

Not having read the complete work, I can't tell you for sure. Only you can decide that. Are there lighter parts of the novel where a lighter touch might be more appropriate? Or is it "heavy" from start to finish? If the latter, light humour might be horribly out of place. Is there a character in your novel who might be appropriate for comic relief? To have a serious character just come out with a joke or do something funny would throw the reader off, but if one of the characters had a "class clown" sort of personality, it might work.

One last question: Have you read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis? The subject matter is quite deep, but the whole concept is somewhat humourous. If you haven't already read it, I highly recommend it.

[maestrowork]

IMHO, every book, no matter how dark it is, must have SOME kind of humor. Even subtle ones.

[bluejester12]

Does it need humor? If the tone is suppose to be dark and depressing stick with that. Look for places to add humor, but dont force it.

[maestrowork]

Humor and comedy are two different things. I think humor is like spices, and is extremely useful in a dark and depressing piece. By humor I don't mean a laugh-out-loud moments. Subtle things such as a piece of dialogue, a gesture, an observation, an incident, etc. Humor is best used in depicting relationships between your characters. Pick up any dark and depressing novel and you'll inevitably find some humor in it.

[RichMar]

I don't think comedy is just the presence of a banana peel. If I followed that logic comedy would be slapstick, humor would be non-physical, and wit would be merely cleverness. Even the Three Stooges had their moments of all three.

The mother is wit, whose twin sister is humor--more blessed by her mankindliness--and comedy is what runs through their DNA.

[peer54]

Remember, if the plot is too dark and depressing, you may lose readers. That'll happen no matter how great the story is.

I'm also in the middle of a dark, depressing fantasy book. I've added 'lighter' moments through character flaws. My narrator believes that lying is much more fun than telling the truth. Occasionally, I let her get tangled up in her lies and leave her to try and squirm her way out the situation. A disfunctional relationship with her closest travelling companion also leads to some awkward moments that lighten up the story.

When you're dealing with a dark setting, it's important to offer a glimpse of something light every now and then, otherwise a reader gets bogged down. Plus, a little humour helps the reader relate to your characters. Sometimes a dark setting rubs off on the characters and makes them seem too unlikeable.

Hope this helps and, don't worry, you're not the only one trudging around in dark fantasy. It can be a draining genre to write in. If nothing else, add something to give yourself a giggle every now and then.

Tracey

[maestrowork]

You can get away with truly depressing and tragic stories with literary fiction. But commercial/mainstream stories aim at entertaining the readers. So it's always good to have some humor (and a mix of suspense, intrigues, craziness, etc.) to take your readers away. After all, after the dreary, depressing real life, who wants to curl up with a completely depressing book?

[drgnlvrljh]

This is how I look at it, in real life, humour happens even in the tensest of situations.

Think about an argument that's begining to escalate out of control with your spouse. All of a sudden, the rediculousness of the whole thing hits you, and you just can't help laughing.

The situation, and the mood are horror. But people, being people, interact with each other in different ways. Frequently, those ways are humourous.

I'm notoriously sarcastic, and I have a nasty habit of pointing out the irony in a situation when it's tense. I don't do it to be mean. My sarcasm is rarely malicious. But it's a part of who I am, and I tend to make remarks about something when I'm tense, or stressed that are ironic, or humourous. Of course, depending on how upset I might be, that humoour can also fall very flat. ;)

Of course, there are times when I say something funny, without intending to, as well. :eek