Performing gender through stand-up comedy in Spanish

• Published in: European journal of humour research 2019, Vol.7 (2), p.67-86
• Main Author: Ruiz-Gurillo, Leonor
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anthropology; Applied Linguistics; Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology; Culture and social structure; female style; gender; humorous sequence; Identity of Collectives; Language and Literature Studies; Pragmatics; Social Sciences; Sociolinguistics; Sociology; stand-up monologue; Theoretical Linguistics
• ISSN: 2307-700X; 2307-700X
• DOI: 10.7592/EJHR2019.7.2.ruiz

The aim of this paper is to examine Eva Hache’s humorous gender-related monologues,broadcast in the show El Club de la Comedia [The Comedy Club] in Spain between 2012 and2013. The corpus comprises 24 stand-up monologues, which have been analysed bothquantitatively and qualitatively. The present paper offers a case study in three different ways.First, an analysis of different humorous sequences makes it possible to distinguish arepresentation of both feminine and masculine identities, as well as a confrontation betweenthe two genders. In fact, Eva Hache’s style supports the feminine identity and facilitates theteasing and mockery of men. Second, a polyphonic study of men as speakers (locutors) andutterers (Ducrot 1996) will serve to differentiate certain features of their identity from adiscursive perspective. Finally, a detailed examination of humorous sequences shows howthese performative sequences can prove useful to maintain hierarchy, to reinforce an in-group,i.e. a women’s group, to solidify men’s group boundaries, and even to subvert gendernormativity (Bing 2004). As it will be demonstrated in our analysis, humorous markers andindicators play an important role in the construction of jab lines and the final punch line ofthese sequences. Furthermore, the results show that there are few strategies aimed atchallenging the status quo in this corpus, although they illustrate an ongoing movementtowards a feminist humour that has been almost non-existent in Spain so far.