Make Them Cry and Make Them Laugh [Jenny Zhang]
What does it really take to write something so uproarious, so perverse, so deeply felt, so majestically sad that it has the power to bring the reader to tears? We’ll spend some time discussing the art of timing, set-up, build-up, characterization, context, and how to profane the sacred and make sacred the profane when trying to construct and relate genuine comedy to genuine tragedy in fiction. We’ll discuss works by Junot Díaz, George Saunders, and Lorrie Moore and do several exercises. This class will challenge you to move away from jokes and punchlines and drippy sentimentality and hone in on the interplay of pathos, sincerity, gravity, and levity in producing something truly tender and truly stirring.
Presented in partnership with APRIL Festival.
FAQ
Complete FAQMost classes are offered at a general and member tuition rates based on instruction hours, with Hugo House members receiving a 10% discount on classes fewer than six sessions.
Early bird discounts are available during the first two weeks of registration and apply to both general and member tuition rates.
To help provide financial accessibility to our class offerings, some classes each quarter are offered with a sliding-scale tuition model, allowing students to pay what they can for the class. For these classes, tuition increments starting at $5 and going up to 125% of the standard pricing will be listed on the page.
Hugo House will only process refund requests that are submitted 5 business days or more before the class start date. To request a refund, log in to your account, go to “My Account,” select the “Orders” tab on the left-hand side, click the appropriate order, and request a refund for your specific class. Administrative fees apply. Please see our full refund policy here.
We do not record classes. However, an exception if a student has specific access needs.
We encourage students to only sign up for classes that fit with their schedule.
We do not tolerate racist, sexist, homophobic, ableist, transphobic or any other oppressive behaviors, regardless of who commits them. Please check out our full community guidelines by clicking here. If an instance of community guidelines are violated and not resolved within the classroom, students may let us know by filling out the student incident report.
Classes may be cancelled if less than the minimum number of students are enrolled within ten days before the class start date. If Hugo House needs to cancel a class for any reason, students can choose between receiving a full credit toward future classes or full refund.
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