Difference between revisions of "33: Self-reference"

Explain xkcd: It's 'cause you're dumb.
Jump to: navigation, search
(Explanation: Clarified the explanation.)
(Explanation)
(12 intermediate revisions by 10 users not shown)
Line 4: Line 4:
 
| title    = Self-reference
 
| title    = Self-reference
 
| image    = self-reference.jpg
 
| image    = self-reference.jpg
| titletext = I think about self-reference a lot. Example: this comment.
+
| titletext = I think about self-reference a lot. Example: this comment.
| imagesize =
 
 
}}
 
}}
  
 
==Explanation==
 
==Explanation==
Self-reference is a situation where something (a comic, a drawing, a musical work, a novel, a mathematical theorem) refers to itself in some manner. This can be a powerful technique in art, music, mathematics and computer science (it is the basis of recursion).
+
 
 +
{{w|Self-reference}} is a situation where something (a comic, a drawing, a musical work, a novel, a mathematical theorem) refers to itself in some manner. This can be a powerful technique in art, music, mathematics and computer science (it is the basis of recursion).
  
 
In this comic, [[Cueball]] promises not to use self-reference for humor, and then realizes after a beat panel that, since this comic is referring to the series of comics he is part of, he is using self-reference, thus breaking his promise.
 
In this comic, [[Cueball]] promises not to use self-reference for humor, and then realizes after a beat panel that, since this comic is referring to the series of comics he is part of, he is using self-reference, thus breaking his promise.
  
Without the last panel, this comic wouldn't be funny, and therefor wouldn't break the promise about using self-reference for humor. But with it, and his realization that he is breaking his promise, it does break that promise.
+
Without the last panel, this comic wouldn't be funny, and therefore wouldn't break the promise about using self-reference for humor. But with it, and his realization that he is breaking his promise, it does break that promise.
 +
 
 +
And the title text is just another humorous self-reference.
  
== Transcript ==
+
Self-references has been used most famously later in [[688: Self-Description]], but has also been used in the title text of [[442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel]] and in [[917: Hofstadter]].
[Guy standing alone] Guy: I promise to never again squeeze humor out of self-reference.
 
  
[Guy standing alone]
+
==Transcript==
 +
:[Cueball standing alone.]
 +
:Cueball: I promise to never again squeeze humor out of self-reference.
  
[Guy standing alone] Guy: God dammit.
+
:[Cueball standing alone.]
  
== Trivia ==
+
:[Cueball standing alone.]
* This is the thirty-fifth comic posted to livejournal.  The previous was {{explain|32}}. The next was {{explain|41}}
+
:Cueball: God dammit.
  
 +
==Trivia==
 +
*This is the thirty-fifth comic originally posted to [[xkcd#History|livejournal]]. The previous was [[32: Pillar]]. The next was [[41: Old Drawing]].
  
 
{{Comic discussion}}
 
{{Comic discussion}}
 
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal]]
 
[[Category:Comics posted on livejournal]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
 
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]

Revision as of 08:49, 2 July 2014

Self-reference
I think about self-reference a lot. Example: this comment.
Title text: I think about self-reference a lot. Example: this comment.

Explanation

Self-reference is a situation where something (a comic, a drawing, a musical work, a novel, a mathematical theorem) refers to itself in some manner. This can be a powerful technique in art, music, mathematics and computer science (it is the basis of recursion).

In this comic, Cueball promises not to use self-reference for humor, and then realizes after a beat panel that, since this comic is referring to the series of comics he is part of, he is using self-reference, thus breaking his promise.

Without the last panel, this comic wouldn't be funny, and therefore wouldn't break the promise about using self-reference for humor. But with it, and his realization that he is breaking his promise, it does break that promise.

And the title text is just another humorous self-reference.

Self-references has been used most famously later in 688: Self-Description, but has also been used in the title text of 442: xkcd Loves the Discovery Channel and in 917: Hofstadter.

Transcript

[Cueball standing alone.]
Cueball: I promise to never again squeeze humor out of self-reference.
[Cueball standing alone.]
[Cueball standing alone.]
Cueball: God dammit.

Trivia


comment.png add a comment! ⋅ comment.png add a topic (use sparingly)! ⋅ Icons-mini-action refresh blue.gif refresh comments!

Discussion

  • This comic is not exactly clear to me. What is the self-reference, or what is the humour? TheHYPO (talk) 14:29, 21 August 2012 (UTC)
    • I added a bit. Does that help clarify? Of course, one of the hallmarks of self-reference is that clarity tends to be lost. Blaisepascal (talk) 14:44, 21 August 2012 (UTC)

What if I don't find this humorous, then he's not squeezing humor! --199.27.128.172 00:09, 2 March 2015 (UTC)

But wouldn't it still be squeezing if he tried? That would mean that whenever he tries, he succeeds. Fabian42 (talk) 08:08, 25 August 2017 (UTC)

But the most famous use of self reference is, of course, the sentence (this) where explainxkcd explained the sentence where explainxkcd explained xkcd's self reference of its own self reference.--TheTimeBandit (talk) 21:54, 27 October 2017 (UTC)

Actually, it would be funny without the last panel, just more subtle. — Kazvorpal (talk) 01:18, 21 January 2024 (UTC)