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].