ABSTRACT
Incongruity theory, in all its terminological redactions, has proved important in the conceptualization of humorous communication. While incongruity theory has been basic to the definition of humor, it has contributed little to the interpretation of particular jokes and nothing to the understanding of humorous repertoires. Approaching a joke repertoire in terms of appropriate incongruities leads to an analysis in some ways similar to the structural analysis proposed for myth and folktales by Claude Levi-Strauss. Through a close analysis of the categories or scripts incongruously united in humorous expressions, a potential exists for apprehending a society’s deepest conflicts and concerns. The appropriate incongruities of jokes, however, are more than armchair formulations about the underlying structures of humorous texts. Such structures are genuinely verifiable with respect to real groups of tellers and listeners. Incongruity theory can serve as the basis for an interpretive methodology that can enhance the understanding of humorous repertoires.
