A ''non sequitur'' ( , ; "
tdoes not follow") is a conversational
literary device
A narrative technique (also, in fiction, a fictional device) is any of several storytelling methods the creator of a story uses,
thus effectively relaying information to the audience or making the story more complete, complex, or engaging. Some ...
, often used for
comedic
Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium.
Origins
Comedy originated in ancient Gr ...
purposes. It is something said that, because of its apparent lack of meaning relative to what preceded it, seems
absurd to the point of being
humor
Humour ( Commonwealth English) or humor (American English) is the tendency of experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement. The term derives from the humoral medicine of the ancient Greeks, which taught that the balance of fluids i ...
ous or confusing. This use of the term is distinct from the ''
non sequitur'' in logic, where it is a
fallacy
A fallacy is the use of invalid or otherwise faulty reasoning in the construction of an argument that may appear to be well-reasoned if unnoticed. The term was introduced in the Western intellectual tradition by the Aristotelian '' De Sophisti ...
.
Etymology
The expression is
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
for "
tdoes not follow". It comes from the words ''non'' meaning "not" and the verb ''sequi'' meaning "to follow".
Usage
A ''non sequitur'' can denote an abrupt, illogical, or unexpected turn in plot or dialogue by including a relatively inappropriate change in manner. A ''non sequitur'' joke sincerely has no explanation, but it reflects the idiosyncrasies, mental frames and alternative world of the particular comic
persona
A persona (plural personae or personas) is a strategic mask of identity in public, the public image of one's personality, the social role that one adopts, or simply a fictional Character (arts), character. It is also considered "an intermediary ...
.
Comic artist
Gary Larson
Gary Larson (born August 14, 1950) is an American cartoonist who created ''The Far Side'', a single-panel cartoon series that was syndicated internationally to more than 1,900 newspapers for fifteen years. The series ended on January 1, 1995, ...
's ''
The Far Side
''The Far Side'' is a single-panel comic created by Gary Larson and syndicated by Chronicle Features and then Universal Press Syndicate, which ran from December 31, 1979, to January 1, 1995 (when Larson retired as a cartoonist). Its surrea ...
'' cartoons are known for what Larson calls "absurd, almost non sequitur animal" characters, such as talking cows, to create a bizarre effect. He gives the example of a strip where "two cows in a field gaze toward burning Chicago, saying 'It seems that agent 6373 had accomplished her mission.'"
See also
*
Anacoluthon
An anacoluthon (; from the Greek , from 'not', and 'following') is an unexpected discontinuity in the expression of ideas within a sentence, leading to a form of words in which there is logical or grammatical incoherence of thought. Anacolutha ...
*
Anti-humor
Anti-humor or anti-comedy is a type of alternative humor that is based on the surprise factor of absence of an expected joke or of a punch line in a narration that is set up as a joke, which in turn can have a humorous effect to some. This kin ...
*
Dada
Dada () or Dadaism was an anti-establishment art movement that developed in 1915 in the context of the Great War and the earlier anti-art movement. Early centers for dadaism included Zürich and Berlin. Within a few years, the movement had s ...
*
Derailment (thought disorder)
In psychiatry, derailment (aka loosening of association, asyndesis, asyndetic thinking, knight's move thinking, entgleisen, disorganised thinkingWorld Health Organization (2023). " Disorganised thinking". ''International Classification of Diseases, ...
*
"Good day, fellow!" "Axe handle!"
Good Day, Fellow!' 'Axe Handle! (Norwegian: "God dag, mann!" "Økseskaft!") is a Scandinavian folktale, collected by Asbjørnsen and Moe.
Plot
A deaf or hard-of-hearing ferryman has a wife, two sons and a daughter. They fritter away all their ...
*
Gibberish
Gibberish, also known as jibber-jabber or gobbledygook, is speech that is (or appears to be) nonsense: ranging across speech sounds that are not actual words, pseudowords, language games and specialized jargon that seems nonsensical to outsid ...
*
Roger Irrelevant
*
Surreal humour
Surreal humour (also called surreal comedy, absurdist humour, or absurdist comedy) is a form of humour predicated on deliberate violations of causality, causal reasoning, thus producing events and behaviors that are obviously illogical. Portra ...
References
Further reading
* ''The Koan: Texts and Contexts in Zen Buddhism''. United Kingdom, Oxford University Press, 2000.
* Shabo, Magedah ''Rhetoric, Logic, and Argumentation: A Guide for Student Writers''. United States, Prestwick House, 2010.
External links
Getting It: Human Event-Related Brain Response to Jokes in Good and Poor Comprehenders- "When asked to pick the punch-line of a joke from an array of choices, including straightforward endings, non sequitur endings, and the correct punch-line, RHD patients erred by picking non sequitur endings, indicating that they know surprise is necessary"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Non sequitur
Humour
Jokes
Latin literary phrases
Narratology