Arthur Schopenhauer and Soren Kierkegaard Generally Agree

Arthur Schopenhauer and Soren Kierkegaard generally agree with Kant on the Incongruity Theory of laughter. Comedy, to both philosophers, must arise from contradiction. But Schopenhauer explains in greater detail the meaning behind many of the terms concerning laughter. Wit is intentional and usually utilizes words. Likewise, the joke is the "intentionally ludicrous." Folly, then, is generally unintentional, and is found most often in action, rather than words. Pedantry is a form of folly which is, in Schopenhauer's explanation, "guided by reason in everything." Therefore, a pedant would perform actions based wholly on conceptual reasoning, not then, upon concrete experience. He goes on to explain that "irony is a joke concealed behind seriousness," and humor, opposing irony, "is seriousness concealed behind a joke." In shorter words, both philosophers believe that one cannot understand humor until he can first understand seriousness, for it is in the contradiction between the two that laughter may arise. Kierkegaard then explains, further than Schopenhauer, that "the comical is present wherever there is contradiction, and wherever one is justified in ignoring the pain, because it is non-essential."
I grouped these two philosophers together because I believe they are making the same argument, and one example may perhaps suffice for all the points above mentioned. Most definitely a pedant, the classic 1950s television show, I Love Lucy, grapples with the notions of comedy versus seriousness. While Lucy continuously attempts to be serious in success, she acts as if she understands a situation as a professional should. But without the proper training, she very often finds herself in quite humorous predicaments. The situations become humorous to the audience, because we understand the seriousness that Lucy so artfully destroys. In the following clip, Lucy tries to prove to her husband that she can go out and bring home the bacon; she wants to prove that she can take on the (1950s) "man's role." The professional atmosphere should be quite serious, but, as you may well observe, Lucy turns it into folly.

Watch Lucy in the Candy Episode