ϳԹ

Skip to Main Content
ϳԹ

Krefting's new book examines stand-up comedy

November 18, 2014
Beck Krefting's book

Beck Krefting, assistant professor of American Studies, is the author of a new book, All Joking Aside—American Humor and Its Discontents, published by Johns Hopkins University Press.

According to the publisher’s web site, Krefting’s examination of stand-up comedy “establishes a new genre of comedic production, ‘charged humor,’ and charts its pathways from production to consumption.”

Stand-up comics have used charged humor “to reveal social, political and economic stratifications,” according to the publisher. Krefting’s history of charged comedy over the past nearly 70 years highlights the work of a number of comics, including Dick Gregory, Robin Tyler, Moz Jobrani, and Hari Kondabolu.

In an interview with Tracy Wuster of the blog Humor in America, Krefting—herself a comic who has done stand-up and improve—tries to determine “What words would create the greatest comedic effect and in what order?” With ϳԹ serving as host each year to the National College Comedy Festival, Krefting said she “gets to teach, mentor, and debate with students who are comedyphiles just like me.”

Click to read the Humor in America interview. Visit the publisher’s web site .

Related News


Fireworks+at+Homecoming+and+Family+Weekend+
ϳԹ welcomed alumni, families, and friends to campus Oct. 17–19 for Homecoming and Family Weekend 2025 — a joyful celebration of community, creativity, and Thoroughbred pride.
Oct 21 2025

Trey+Bourque+%E2%80%9925
A childhood coach’s words on sportsmanship at the Little League World Series continued to echo through Trey Bourque ’25’s time at ϳԹ, where heart, grit, and service defined his leadership on and off the field.
Oct 17 2025

Sweet+Honey+in+the+Rock+performs+at+Zankel+Music+Center
In It 10 connects past and present, encouraging ϳԹ students, staff, faculty, and community partners to reflect on our collective responsibility to learn, remember, and act.
Oct 17 2025