EDINBURGH — As Britain stands on the cusp of major change, an unfamiliar mood of introspection has taken hold at its biggest comedy and arts festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

For two years, Britain has been preoccupied with its imminent departure from the European Union, set for March 2019. Brexit, as the process is known, is everywhere in the press, on television and on social media.

But the precise details of how it will take place have remained maddeningly elusive, and are the subject of acrimonious political debate. “It’s hard to make comedy out of situational paralysis,” said Nish Kumar, a comedian whose show at the Fringe is called “It’s In Your Nature to Destroy Yourselves.”

Image “It’s hard to make comedy out of situational paralysis,” the comedian Nish Kumar said. Credit... Matt Stronge

Brexit is, nonetheless, a hot topic at the last edition of the Fringe before Britain is due to withdraw from the bloc. A lot of shows are sending up the tortured process of Britain’s departure, including lighthearted theater pieces like “Jonny Woo’s All Star Brexit Cabaret” and a big, silly comedy called, simply, “Brexit.”