Sort of Nothing Like A Book Club: Issue 37

This weeks' editor:
Kate

Hello,

Welcome to Sort of Nothing Like A Book Club, the newsletter from Creative CoLab.

These last few years of the pandemic have been a time of crisis, struggle and heartbreak. However dark the situation has become, there has always been comedy and jokes to bring light and joy to these hard times.

From the BBC's Big Night In full of sketches about lockdown, to new
programmes such as Staged and established sitcoms such as Superstore setting seasons during the pandemic, to home made TikTok videos - the pandemic has been laughed and joked about.

For this edition, we have been taking a deeper look at the comedic responses to the pandemic and its impact.
Read on to find out more...

Is the pandemic funny yet?
by Rosalie Minnitt

In this piece Rosalie looks at comedy based on the pandemic. She considers how throughout history, humans have used comedy in times of crisis and hardship to explore our suffering.
She asks whether it is too soon to joke about the pandemic, and whether jokes about face masks and musicals about hand sanitiser are evidence of a society starting to heal or whether we are just burying our collective trauma.

How the 1918 Pandemic Got Meme-ified in Jokes, Songs and Poems
This article looks at how in newspapers across the US, the public dealt with the heartache of the 1918 pandemic by turning to humour. With many examples of witty poems and jokes published during the time this piece gives a unique look into this historic flu epidemic.

Laughing through lockdown: Why comedy is important in times of crisis
This article looks at how comedy has been important during lockdown. It considers how humour has helped bring us together, and created a sense of unity and solidarity. It considers how comedy has been used throughout history during tragic times, psychology behind laughter and how we shouldn't feel guilty for laughing during difficult times.

Do we really want TV shows to mention the pandemic?
This piece looks at how tv shows have either incorporated the pandemic into their stories, been solely based on the pandemic, or have completely ignored the pandemic altogether. Exploring many examples such as Superstore, Succession and The Morning Show, it considers how seeing the pandemic reflected on TV can be unsettling.

And Lastly...

It is often said when facing difficult situations that people 'don't know whether to laugh or cry'. And the pandemic has been no different.

Comedy, whether that is a TV show, movie, live performance, funny meme or TikTok video, has been so important to bring joy and escapism during this very difficult time.

If you have a funny video or anything thought you'd like to share about what we've looked at in this issue we'd love for you to get in touch!

Bye!