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A World War II veteran processes the devastation he's witnessed from the confines of an intergalactic zoo.
一位参加过第二次世界大战的老兵，正讲述着他在星系动物园内目睹的破坏。
As an estranged parent and child meet at a fraught family reunion, a little girl mumbles, "How do you do?" from behind a dirty curtain.
彼此感到疏远的父亲和孩子，在忧心忡忡的家庭聚会相遇，一个小女孩从肮脏的窗帘后面喃喃地说：“你好吗？”
After the death of his best friend, a lonely king travels to the end of the world in search for answers and... walks into a bar.
在他最好的朋友去世后，一位孤独的国王前往世界尽头寻找答案，随后...他走进了酒吧。
It may seem counterintuitive, but comedy is often key to a serious story.
这可能看起来有悖常理，但喜剧效果往往是每个严肃故事的关键。
As a writer, you need your audience to experience a range of emotions, no matter what your genre.
做为一个作家，你需要让读者感受到一系列的情感，无论你采用什么手法。
Whether you want to evoke fear, grief, or excitement, when people are exposed to one emotion for too long, they become desensitized to it.
无论你是想唤起恐惧、悲伤还是兴奋，当人们沉浸在一个情感太久，他们会变得麻木。
Comic relief is a tried-and-true way of creating the varied emotional texture a compelling story needs.
一个精彩动人的故事往往需要恰如其分的喜剧效果。
So how can you create this effect in your own stories?
所以，你怎样在自己的故事中创造这样的效果呢？
Whether you use characters, situations, language, or any combination of the three, timing and contrast are crucial.
无论你是想通过人物、情节、语言，还是将三者结合，恰当的时机和反差都很关键。
Take the "Epic of Gilgamesh." This ancient Mesopotamian tale is possibly the oldest known work of literature, and yet the story remains compelling today.
以《吉尔伽美什史诗》为例，这个古老的美索不达米亚故事或许是迄今最古老的文学作品，然而， 这个故事在当今仍然很吸引人。
As King Gilgamesh approaches the end of the world, he walks into a bar.
就在吉尔加梅什国王就快抵达世界尽头时，他走进了一家酒馆。
We think we're reaching the climax of his story -- only to have our expectations subverted.
我们以为他的故事已经到了高潮--结果并非我们所期望的。
That brief respite allows the tension to build even higher to a later, true climax. It both relieves and creates tension.
这短暂的停顿反而推动了随后、真正的故事高潮。它同时起到了舒缓情绪，又能制造紧张感的作用。
This lesson also applies to modern stories: by briefly lightening the mood, you can build tension in your stories exactly when it's needed.
这一经验也适用于现代故事：通过短暂地放松心情，在你的故事中恰如其分地制造紧张感。
The moment at the bar doesn't just amplify the audience's emotional response -- it also complicates it.
在酒吧的那一刻不仅放大了观众的情绪反应，它也使它复杂化了。
The wise bartender questions the purpose of Gilgamesh's quest -- setting the stage for the final, more nuanced resolution.
充满智慧的酒保质疑了吉尔伽美什的探索--推动舞台走向结尾、更微妙的冲突。
You can use comic relief not only to create contrast with graver moments, but to comment on them.
你可以采用喜剧性穿插的手法来创造与重要时刻的反差，还可以借此来加以评说。
Sidekicks are one of the most common and direct ways to do this:
搭档是最常见和直接的方式之一：
they can supply sneakily perceptive commentary on the main action, often while simultaneously serving as blundering, hapless punchlines.
他们可以偷偷地对主角动作做出尖锐的评论，同时常常充当浮躁、不幸的笑料。
Kurt Vonnegut's "Slaughterhouse-Five" takes a different approach: the story continuously alternates between horrific war scenes and wacky science fiction moments.
库尔特·冯内古特的《屠宰场五人组》采取了不同的方法：这个故事发生在可怕的战争场景，和古怪的科幻小说之间不断交替。
These scenes provide comic relief, but also open a dialogue about what's usually unspeakable,
这些场景提供了喜剧性穿插，但是同时也打开了平时难以说出口的对话，
highlighting the arbitrary nature of human suffering in a way that makes it more impactful.
突出人类苦难的任意性质，通过一种方式使它变得更有力。
Arundhati Roy's "The God of Small Things" takes yet another approach to comic relief.
阿兰达蒂·罗伊的《微物之神》，带来了另一种方式接近欢乐的解脱。
The narrative style draws upon the perspective of children to infuse a tragic story with poignant humor.
叙事风格的画采用孩子的视角，给悲剧故事注入辛辣的幽默。
When the adults funnel decades of tensions over race, class, and family dynamics into their expectations for their children's behavior,
当成年人把在种族、阶级和家庭动态方面积累了几十年的紧张关系，灌输到他们对孩子行为的期望中，
you can't help but chuckle with recognition when, at the moment she's expected to put on a perfect performance of politeness,
你无法忍住轻笑，当你在意识到她期望把完美的礼貌表现放上去，
7-year-old Rahel "herself like a sausage into the dirty airport curtain and unravel."
而7岁的瑞秋像一根香肠一样钻到机场脏兮兮的窗帘后面，却不知道如何解开。
At the same time, you know her failure to behave will only add to the tension.
与此同时，你也知道她的不作为只会增加紧张的气氛。
Afterward, she thinks, "the play had gone bad. Like Pickle in a monsoon."
后来，她认为，这出戏演砸了。就像雨季里的酸黄瓜。
This punchline underscores the reality of the situation:
这句笑点强调了现实情况：
the reunion is so forced and formal, Rahel feels like her family are actors in a play, and she feels powerless in the storm of what's happening.
这次聚会很勉强，也很正式，瑞秋觉得她的家人就像戏剧里的演员，而她就像在风暴中感到无能为力。
To make the most of comic relief, think not only about what moment in your story would most benefit from a splash of contrasting emotion,
为了最大限度地发挥喜剧效果，不仅要考虑你的故事中哪一个时刻最能从强烈的对比情绪中获益，
but also: what message you'd like to convey that you can't say directly?
还要考虑：你想传达哪些不能直说的信息？
Which of your readers' assumptions would you like to call into question?
你想质疑读者的哪些假设？
