It’s kind of a funny story: Using comedy to articulate pain

Abstract

Stories of pain stretch metaphors and similes. They infuse verbs into the narrative: stab, pulse and ache. While all of these may create a reference point in a listener’s mind, a sufferer may never be able to communicate the reality of pain’s hold on her body. And when there is no evidence ‐ no bleeding wound to strike a visual connection, for instance ‐ the metaphor can disappear completely. With its disappearance goes the possibility of connection. And when the pain does not go, the sufferer may begin to doubt the validity of her own body. This leads the sufferer of chronic illness into another indescribable void: isolation. However, storytellers can provide a voice for the invisible and create conversations that change cultural perceptions that perpetuate marginalization. This article argues that an effective genre to undertake on this task is comedy, and discusses the work of Jenny Lawson.