Schwank (comedy)

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In German-speaking cultures, Schwank (pronounced [ʃvaŋk] ^ⓘ) is a genre of short funny tale, verse, song, play, opera, etc.^[1][2] In German, common meanings for the word "Schwank" are "prank", "funny tale", told for entertainment.^[3]

The Kleines Literarisches Lexikon (1966) offers a distinction of Schwank from other forms of comedy: Schwank delivers light, harmless, carefree humor, which distinguishes it from comedy, which ridicules something; from Lustspiel [de], which offers much hilarity; and from farce (de:Posse), with its crude boisterousness.^[4]

Other German types of literary and scenic art involving comedy include the Posse mit Gesang, Klamotte [de], Lustspiel [de], Volksstück [de], and Festspiel [de].