Inside the Lives of Comedians — Or Not: Signs of Constructedness and Referentiality in Stand-Up Comedy

Abstract

Stand-up comedians, as public figures in a digitalised world, are necessitated to react to an increasing demand for authenticity in their performances. Arguably, this demand is a reaction to an increase in post-truth sentiments in contemporary media culture. Using two performances as case studies, this paper analyses the works to explore how different comedians respond to the imperative of authenticity permeating media culture today. Through the analysis of signs of constructedness and referentiality in the performances, it is shown that both performances occasionally seem so ‘real’ that they become uncomfortable and hyperrealistic. This is vital considering Roland Barthes’ concern that the reality effect, when constructed well, may result in audiences accepting narratives as unproblematically true. Moreover, an increased succumbing to the imperative of authenticity may result in this imperative’s reinforcement. This, in turn, might require performances to appear increasingly ‘real’ and bring with it a variety of consequences. As such, understanding the imperative of authenticity and different cultural figures’ reactions thereto is an important step in understanding how to engage with constructedness and truth in a post-truth era.