Did you ever read a book
where the characters giggle, guffaw, and laugh like they were
lunatics? It sometimes seems like everything is a joke to this kind
of character, and often it's annoying. Laughter at a good joke is
okay, or an outrageous situation, or the occasional nervous giggle is
good, but how much is too much? It isn't funny to portray a character
like this, and can make me put a book aside as "too silly."
Classic novels, such
as Gone With the Wind,
portray some characters as less intelligent because they laugh too
often or too quickly. The giggling girls in Gone
With the Wind, make Scarlett that much
more full of herself as she peppers her flirtation with well-timed
smiles and withheld laughter.
What is it about
giggling and tittering that makes a character seem shallow or
dull-witted? Even in real life, we've encountered the type of person
who finds everything funny. It kind of makes you suspicious. Are they
laughing with
us or about
us? No one is that happy that often. Maybe it's like a nervous tic,
in which case we have to wonder what they're so skittish about. Is it
all fluff, or is it deception?
When I write, I like to
have my characters laugh in appropriate spots. If something strikes
me as funny, I will probably share my laughter with the character I'm
writing. I think that's natural, and more realistic. Rarely do I use
laughing as a device to make someone look foolish, though that is
certainly a useful trope; it certainly worked for Margaret Mitchell.
I
find that well-written books which portray themselves as "comedic"
rarely have the characters laugh at their own jokes. They rely on the
readers to supply the grins and guffaws. It's almost ironic. And yet,
who can resist laughing with a happily squealing baby in a video?
There must be some autonomic relationship between real life giddiness
and a similar reaction in the viewer. Humor is infectious, though
less so in books for some reason.
Have you ever read a book
where the laughter (not yours, the characters') was non-stop? How did
you feel about it? Did it make you laugh along?
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