Abstract Drawing on my years of performing stand-up comedy while also lecturing in Literature in higher education, I suggest that academics can learn a great deal from stand-up comedians, particularly from the performative power and effect of such qualities as spontaneity and flexibility. This paper will argue that all too often teachers, particularly in the Humanities, are far too well `prepared’ for seminars, which limits the opportunity for students to interact. Extensive preparation for seminars is often a form of control over students, or is done not to `teach’ the students but rather to protect the teacher.
