Too DRAMATIC? (setting the mood w/ or w/o humor)

In my YA fantasy novel, have a question:

I start the novel from a modern-day perspective with the MC carrying on a humorous conversation with his best friend. This dialogue has received many positive reviews from critiques, and it seems to work well to set the tone for the MC's personality.

The problem comes in (in my opinion) when the MC is abruptly transported into a fantasy realm where he is expected to provide solutions to a war about to erupt against the Lord of the Demons. For the next two chapters, the whole tone shifts to one much more sober and dramatic.

No one would expect such a serious situation to have much humor in it, and I found that trying to "lighten up" the mood in this section really threw critiquers out the story. My only question here is, do you think this shift from humorous to dramatic would cause the story to bog down? I don't want to lose the "fun" element by excessive drama, and the MC's dialogue at the beginning of chapter one makes him look like a completely different person by chapter three. (this is partly intentional, as he is "growing") but I also don't want to lose the momentum that those opening paragraphs provided.

Question is, how long is too long, to bring back humor? How do I know when it's "safe" to bring it back in (without appearing jarringly callous of the MC to react in such a way during a harrowing experience)? How much time can I "coast through" the drama before needing to inject a fresh dose of humor to get the upbeat tone of the novel back to an interesting level?

Part of the appeal of my MC is his quick wit, easy-going nature and off-the-cuff fun personality. He takes a nose-dive for awhile as he is plunged into this other realm and forced to re-define himself. (The book is written in his POV)

Critiquers have mentioned that they can't get a read on what he's feeling or how they should react to the conflict based on his perceptions. This is partly intentional, as he is the stereotypical male who doesn't really know what he's feeling, or at least couldn't verbalize it for you, and also because he is going through a very confusing upheaval--landing in a foreign place amongst strangers. For a teenage guy who is used to making the world predictable by creating a joke out of everything, this is unfamiliar territory in more ways than one.

Does any of this make sense to anyone? Any suggestions to help me out?

Matera the Mad said:

I've had some hard work balancing light and dark -- it can be a right beech.

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Thanks, that defines it well--balance of light and dark. Any threads or ideas about this concept in writing? I want it to be more on the fun side, because I'm that kind of person (and I enjoy reading humorous books, too)

dreamsofnever said:

You can also perhaps inject some humor into his 'typical maleness' reacting to the very out of the ordinary situation he's thrust into. Maybe he reacts in a way that's unexpected? It may not be funny to him, but it might be funny to the reader.

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This is some great food for thought! Also, the earlier comment about my MC becoming the butt of some joke and being the only person who's not getting it. Both of those suggestions are great. I'm working on incorporating these ideas right now, as a result of your feedback, so thank you!

Yeah! Like Hawkeye Pierce. My MC is actually dragged off to a military academy to train, so a younger, more inexperienced version of Hawkeye is a bit of what I'm after. He can never get too serious--it just goes against the grain, ya know? (He's only 17--too young to be as much of an expert at being sarcastic as Hawkeye, but with the same bent)

RJK said:

I agree, it will be a tough sell for a 17-year-old to play a convincing Hawkeye. Are those who dragged him off adults? That may make it even harder.

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LOL! I said a bit of what I'm after! (I don't have any grand delusions that I am going actually recreate Hawkeye Pierce. In my opinion, Alan Alda did a very fine job at perfecting that character for all time)

I just wanted to aim for a funny guy who has to grow through his struggles without the story bogging down in too much drama. (see my original post) I would never have come up with a comparison to Hawkeye on my own. I didn't base my MC's personality on him. But that comparison from M*A*S*H did strike a chord with me, as being the kind of balance that I'm shooting for.

My work is fantasy, so I can't say it will end up looking anything like M*A*S*H. (Just a fun correlation to play with)

btw, I've already come up with some humorous solutions, based on the ideas offered here, so thank you to everyone!!

RobJ said:

I deal with stereotypical people all day long. Why would I want to read about a main character who is one?

Cheers,
Rob

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What I don't want is an MC who is so stereotypical as to be considered a flat-liner, so I'm trying to strike the balance of realism. *beeeeep.....clear!.... jzzzzttt......* (readers eyes start to unglaze as EKG printout resumes a regular blip)

Ah, that makes me laugh: A fantasy realm where Hawkeye Pierce is quoting Hamlet! Now we're talkin'. This is so great! I've come up with a dozen things already to spice up the interactions. Keep 'em comin!