A discussion of the notion of incongruity is presented, considering what this is and why the theory that it is necessary for humour has failed to account for subtle instances of humour found in many discourses. It is argued that the perception of incongruity is simply what occurs when the existing contrasts between objects or concepts are noticed. Thus, it is proposed that humour is a process through which contrasts between objects or concepts are brought to someone’s attention by presenting the source of humour in a way that leads to its defamiliarisation. This encourages a subjective construal of the source, figuring the process of communication between relay and receiver. Literary works considered include: The Teleportation Accident by Ned Beauman, The Good, The Bad and The Smug by Tom Holt and Black Swan Green by David Mitchell.