Does Humor Belong in Rape Stories?

[skuttrusk]

For some reason, I find myself using a lot of what might be called comedy in my stories. I'm pleased to see some other examples of "funny rape" here.

What do you think the main effect is, and does it help or hinder?

I think I know some of the effects or motivations. Here's a short list:

1) Taking the edge off. A nasty scene can be made more digestible with wit.
2) Distanciation. Humor can stop us identifying too closely with a victim, making things less real.
3) Alienation. The scene becomes less depressingly realistic, more obvious a fantasy, with absurdism.
4) Humor can also be a bully's weapon, adding to a victim's humiliation. I write my stories in the character of a misogynist who finds this stuff comical.
5) Making the victim the butt of a joke, as well as having her butt-fucked, adds another level of sadism to her experience.

Have I missed anything? I know there's lots of overlap above. Anything you disagree with or would add to? And do you, personally, appreciate what Madonna called "rape with a smile"?

[Shocker]

I think that depends a lot on your style of storytelling. If I’m telling a story that relies on tension then I refrain from humor.
People had been commenting on my bastardization of the Miranda warning, but I’m certain no matter how cheesy that was they were grinning reading.

Humor is incredibly culture dependent, I can barely stand comedy movies in the first place, but modern ones are even worse. Yet you will see me laughing out loud with the witty comebacks of 80s action movies.

When I’m writing a story and a character just happens to be a wise ass, the dialogue might slide to the comedic, but I don’t set out to write comedy in my stories. That never stopped me from having my personal fun with names and events.

So to answer your question. It depends on the story.

[skuttrusk]

That makes sense. If what you like best is quips from characters, is it usually rapists making a clever remark at the expense of a victim, or does it vary a lot more? i can imagine a fun rapey version of the action hero wisecrack. "Catch you later" or "stick around" or "shocking." Closeup of tearful, cum-stained victim.

[Shocker]

I like tongue in cheek, after all one never knows whose tongue, and whose cheeks, cone to think about it which cheeks.

[Lucius]

Have I missed anything? I know there's lots of overlap above. Anything you disagree with or would add to?

I think your list is pretty exhaustive, the motivations do bleed one into another.

And do you, personally, appreciate what Madonna called "rape with a smile"?

I suppose, I'm a fan of late 80s-early 90s Pedro Almodóvar films that often relied on that. Hard.

I think that depends a lot on your style of storytelling. If I’m telling a story that relies on tension then I refrain from tension.

Refrain from humour, you mean?

People had been commenting on my bastardization of the Miranda warning, but I’m certain no matter how cheesy that was they were grinning reading.

Well, yes, but it can be played as unhinged scary too, in the manner of De Niro's Max Cady putting the Bowden family on 'trial' in Cape Fear (1991).

[Shocker]

@Lucius thanks for picking that up, my stories might also lack tension, bit I did mean humor.

[Claire]

Hmm, interesting question. I think in general the answer is yes. There is different types of humor. For example, if you are embedding rape scenes in a larger narrative, then it makes perfect sense to have some humorous interactions between characters before and after the rape scenes. But I assume the question is more directed toward whether the rape itself can be humorous.

I would disinguish here again between humorous moments occuring during the rape and the rape itself being played for laughs. I see nothing wrong with a rapist taunting his victim with a cruel jke and maybe that joke gets a chuckle out of the reader as well? I wrote a scene where the victim trows a "Fuck you!" at the rapist and he answers "Almost. Wrong pronoun. You’re supposed to go with ‘me/my’ instead of ‘you/your’ in this type of situation. I thought your generation was very concerned with this kind of thing." I don't think that kind of jab from the rapist undermines the tension of the scene.

I think the most critical question is whether humor should undermine the seriousness of the rape scene. Can you turn the rape scene into absurdist humor where nobody takes anything serious anymore. I would say that this is possible, but very difficult to do right without it coming off as juvenile and edgy.

I think straight up humor works best if there is a larger point behind it. If what you write is a parody or a satire for example. But being over the top comical for the purpose of just being funny in a rape scene... I'm fine with that, but I think it is extremely hard to pull off.

[RaymondPISTACHIO]

I consider myself a writer of "Rape Comedy".
ALL of my stories originate from a joke, or at least a situation that I find funny.
And then I work backward or outward from there.
(I also like to revolve my stories around music that I like. Oh, and holidays.)
My favorite New Years Eve story (Not yet published here) starts with the true story of someone I know who crashed their car after a Canadian goose flew into her windshield. Hilarious, to me. (To her, not so much.)

That being said, Rape Comedy can be a hard sell, since at least 81.3% of the population agrees with the statement:
"There's nothing funny about rape." (86.1%, if you add an exclamation mark after that sentence.)*

But it's OK with me of other people don't "get" my sense of humor.
I'm used to being in a minority, even if it's a minority of one.
My own thoughts on the matter are good enough for me.

*Obviously, I pulled both of those percentages directly out of my ass. But until someone shows me a study that refutes them, those are the stat's I'm goin' with.

[RapeU]

In one of my chapters I had a character do a CnC roleplay where she was tied naked between two trees with vibrators in her ass and cunt while gay male furries had sex with each other in front of her. She had wanted someone to come rescue her, but wanted to be surprised with the details.

Having Underdog randomly come save her and speak in rhymes that were thought of on the spot was an intended humorous exchange that got the female character busting out laughing and annoyed those who were playing with her.

I'm not sure how well it worked to the average reader, but I certainly enjoyed playing with the humor.

[skuttrusk]

But being over the top comical for the purpose of just being funny in a rape scene... I'm fine with that, but I think it is extremely hard to pull off.

I hope you'll take a look at one of my stories sometime, see if they work for you. Raymond Pistachio does something comparable, I think.