Painting of thirty-five expressive heads.

Thirty-Five Expressive Heads, by Louis-Léopold Boilly, c. 1825. Musee des Beaux-Arts, Tourcoing, France.

Comedy

Volume VII, Number 1 | winter 2014

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Preamble

The Solid Nonpareil

By Lewis H. Lapham

From Mesopotamia to Mark Twain, the question has remained the same for thousands of years—who’s laughing now?

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Black and white photograph of a clown laughing in front of a storefront.

Split Personalities

By Andrew McConnell Stott

Is it a condition of comic genius to be always wrestling with demons?

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Map showing comedic theater tropes from around the world.

Map

The Human Comedy

Theatrical fools and buffoons from around the world and across time.

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Miscellany

Dorothy Parker was once asked to use the word horticulture in a sentence. “You can lead a horticulture,” she replied, “but you can’t make her think.”

1688 | France

Character Study

A man of sense should learn to jest gracefully and to not be obscene.More

1875 | London

Self-Incrimination

“Habitual laughers are silly, giddy, frivolous, superficial persons.”More

1896 | London

Sense and Nonsense

“Babies cannot manage crocodiles.”More

Charts & Graphs

Undercover

Match the authors to their pseudonyms.

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black and white pencil drawing of Moliere in an ornate frame

Black and white photograph of a young Mark Twain with dark hair.

Lewis Lapham at his desk

Woody Allen in thick black rim glasses

Photograph of President Abraham Lincoln sitting in a chair.

Black and white photograph of Mencken looking over his shoulder at the camera

Pastel drawing of George Eliot.

Black and white photo of Lenny Bruce being frisked by an officer

Some things are privileged from jest—namely, religion, matters of state, great persons, all men’s present business of importance, and any case that deserves pity.

—Francis Bacon, 1597

Sculpture bust of Roman teacher and writer Quintilian.

Black and white photograph of American entertainer Joan Rivers.

Quintilian & Joan Rivers

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