Have you ever been 150 pages into a novel or play, or reading the 10th chapter of your western civ. textbook and stopped to reflect on just how hilarious the characters in novels and figures of the past could be? I mean half of the stuff that happened in history sounds ridiculous, like Benjamin Franklin once wrote an essay encouraging scholars to create a method of making farts "not only inoffensive, but agreable as Perfumes". And you have to admit that some of the characters in classical novels and plays are just so crazy that they lend themselves to jokes (e.g. every Shakespeare character ever). So it only makes sense that people today are turning these characters and stories into entertaining comics and videos for us to enjoy.
1. Hark! A Vagrant.
One of my favorite cartoonists Kate Beaton, who received a degree in history and anthropology from Mount Allison University, created the comic strip Hark! A Vagrant. about history, literature, comic book superheroes and more.
From The Great Gatsby to Henry VIII, no literary or historical figure is safe from her hilarious comedic portrayals. Check out her work online at Hark! A Vagrant or purchase collections of her comics here.
Sometimes you need to review a novel but the only summaries you can find online are boring and forgettable. Wisecrack is there to help with Thug Notes, videos that offer summary and analysis of important literature with a twist.
Once you're done reviewing classical novels courtesy of original gangster Sparky Sweets PhD., you can head over to Wisecrack's relatively new series Boss Bitches of History to learn more about some bad ass women of the past. Just a warning, the language is NSFW but you'll probably enjoy these exaggerated videos a little bit more than the average biography.
3. Sassy Gay Friend
The whole premise of this video series is that if the characters in classic literature had a sassy gay friend they could have avoided their terrible fates.
It's a satire on the "sassy gay male" stereotype and totally plays on the faults of characters like Shakespeare's Ophelia and Juliet. These videos are hilarious and you'll probably spend a half an hour binge watching them all.
4. Epic Rap Battles of History
Epic Rap Battles of History is a youtube video series that pits historical figures, pop culture icons and literary characters against each other in witty and funny rap battles. They often contain snipes at the people or characters' personalities and plays on events in their lives.
ERB has over 13 million followers on YouTube and four seasons of rap battles. With over 50 videos to choose from you can spend a couple hours watching these figures battle it out.
History and literature lend themselves to these videos and comics for us to read, watch and enjoy. And, who knows? While we're laughing we might even learn something along the way.
