In academia, comedy is often looked down upon as a “low brow” artform, but I argue universities should consider comedy not only a consequential cultural thermometer, but also a historical preservational tool for humanities in its totality. Comedy is unique in that it can preserve a particular societal sensibility of humor, alternative philosophies, and political culture. When used as a historical remix, comedy also provides an alternative context from the original source, often proposing new ideas and perspectives derived from the original context.

Comedy is said to be subjective, so this analysis will not focus on how or if something is “funny,” but rather what significance the material played in the preservation of archive/remix, and how the initial reception to the material is an archive of humanities. To further contextualize my arguments, I will be analyzing historical references and writings from specific time periods of American comedy.