humorous tales
Comedic short fiction
Humorous tales are stories meant to amuse or entertain through comedy.
The phrase appears in titles and descriptions of joke collections, funny anecdotes, or lighthearted fiction: a book of humorous tales from the Old West.
The wording sounds somewhat old-fashioned; modern usage more often says funny stories or comic stories.
- picaresqueRascally adventure narrative style
- shaggy dog storyLengthy joke with absurd anticlimax
- comedyWork meant to amuse
- farceAbsurd, laughable situation
- parodySatirical imitation
fables · folklore · satire · irony · witty banter · laughter · oral tradition · anecdote · running gag · exaggeration · drollery · stand-up comedy · sitcoms · wordplay · slapstick · amusement · hyperbole · vaudeville
- talesfunny stories, tall tales, short story, yarns, folktale
- American folklorePaul Bunyan, tall tales, folk heroes, John Henry, folk narratives
- folktalesfolktales, animal fables, folktale, moral fables, fairy tales
- ChekhovAnton Chekhov, The Seagull, The Cherry Orchard, playwright, Uncle Vanya
- personal narrativesautobiography, life story, memoir, personal history, personal accounts
- hero comedybumbling hero, reluctant hero
humorous talestragedies
Dramas with fatal endings
tearjerkers · horror stories · weepies · ghost stories · cautionary tales
humorous talesmorality tales
Stories conveying ethical lessons
sermons · eulogies · parables · epic sagas
humorous taleseyewitness accounts
Reports from direct observers
historical records · news reports · sworn testimony · journalism · case studies