Female comedian biographies spearhead feminism

It is no secret that comedy is no longer a man’s game. The book world is awash with autobiographies of beloved female comedians who are redefining what it means to be funny onstage and onscreen. Welcome to the era of the funny woman. With the likes of Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Lena Dunham, Ellen DeGeneres,
Sarah Silverman and Mindy Kaling scribing their wisdom, it is time to reflect on why this trend is picking so much speed.

Perhaps it is because people want life advice from funny people, the kind of people whose views on life invigorate the mundane with levity and joy. Or maybe it is because society has always been intrigued by the inner workings of the female mind. Perhaps the strongest argument for this trend is society’s need for a canon of autobiographical origin stories where people redefine and actively change the norm.

Maybe an autobiography is less intriguing if it captures the life of someone abiding by an obvious path without making change. Shelves have long been stocked with stories of people fighting for change and deviating from the mainstream. Society needs these stories to act as a sort of Rosetta Stone for translating old behaviors into new norms. With this, society will be able to build a foundation for an equalized industry, using the female comedian books for catalyzing this change. In this case, that means that the funny women who have written their stories and marketed their wisdom are formulating a canon of works on which the future of comedy can rest. Recent collections exhibit the vulnerability of real, comedic women who are working towards a goal that defies the norms — Tina Fey’s “Bossypants,” Sarah Silverman’s “The Bedwetter” and Mindy Kaling’s “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me,” Ellen DeGeneres’ “Seriously … I’m Kidding” and Lena Dunham’s “Not That Kind Of Girl” all coming to mind. These books have the power to motivate anyone facing a hurdle to leave fear in their wake, to not take things too seriously, and to greet challenges as Amy Poehler would, with a resounding, “Yes Please.”

A version of this article appeared in the Thursday, April 9 print edition. Email Talia Kuhel at books@nyunews.com