A 90 degree turn - a closer look at humour

I received this from the Wicked Witch in Tshwane

BEWARE OF PEOPLE WHO ONLY LAUGH AT JOKES

The word comedy was invented by the Greeks to give a name to a new kind of theatrical presentation which complemented tragedy. Essentially it was the opposite of tragedy which dealt with the downfall and demise of great heroic figures. Comedy poked fun at corrupt clergy, kind-hearted prostitutes and other ordinary people. Aristotle defined it as an imitation of men who are inferior but not altogether vicious.
Although it was often obscene, comedy became widely popular and philosophers like Cicero, in order to render it respectable, stated that it had a deeper meaning. They held that comedy’s role was to correct the irrational and immoral conduct of the foolish. Satire, or the vitriolic attack on somebody perceived to be wicked, was a tool in this kind of comedy.
Since I want to concentrate on humour, that peculiarly English form of observation, wit, or what Pope defined as nature to advantage dressed/ What oft was thought but ne’er so well expressed, and buffoonery, or what is nowadays called slapstick, will be put aside.
Sir William Temple, in an essay on poetry published in 1690, stated that no other language had the word humour in its vocabulary (That was quite a few years before Afrikaans came into being.)
According to him, the English have more humour because every man follows his own, and takes a pleasure, perhaps a pride, in showing it.
Because humour is concerned with the human condition and the follies of humanity at large, we still laugh when we read Chaucer or Swift.
A description of the posture of archers when loosing their arrows by Roger Ascham in Toxophilus, published in 1545, could be applied to the antics of certain modern bowlers and golfers, not to forget lady tennis players.
One wonders what John Aubrey (1626-97) that gossipy author of Brief Lives, would have made of the likes of Paris Hilton, Presidents Zuma and Mbeki, not to speak of President Mugabe and our own queen of African potatoes.
Jane Austen infused Northanger Abbey, a send-up of the Gothic novel, with humour. Charles Dickens and Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) used humour to their advantage in the creation of some of the most memorable characters in literature.
William Sydney Porter, better known as O Henry, was one of the first American writers to describe life in New York. His own life was less humorous. He wrote short pieces for magazines, married and was employed by a bank in Austin where a paltry sum of money for which he was accountable went missing. He fled to Honduras and only returned to America when he heard that his wife was dying. He was arrested and sent to prison for three years. It was a turning point and he made writing his career. His development of the short story influenced generations of writers. Although he made his characters funny, he treated them with compassion. He left over 250 short stories.
The head of the Department of Economics and Political Science at McGill in Montreal was the writer of about thirty books. In private life he was less funny and rather quick-tempered. He thought it absurd that he had to retire from the university at the age of 65. His intelligence and vast range lifted him above his contemporaries in the field of humour.
Frank O’Connor (pseudonym of Michael O’Donovan) was compared to Chekhov by no one less than W B Yeats for his brilliance as a short story writer. His First Confession and My Oedipus Complex must be two of the most enjoyable stories ever written.
Most people will admit that Lawrence Durrell was a great novelist. He is not as well-known for his humorous stories as his brother, Gerald. The latter wrote the very funny anecdotal My family and other Animals. In Esprit de Corps and Stiff Upper Lip, Lawrence Durrell pokes fun at diplomatic life in remote countries.
Other writers that should tickle anyone’s funny bone are James Thurber (who can ever forget Walter Mitty and the Unicorn in the Garden?), P G Wodehouse with his Bertie Wooster and Jeeves, the ultimate butler, Nancy Mitford, Jessica Mitford and Evelyn Waugh.
In South Africa we have the stories of Herman Charles Bosman, who put the Marico on the international map.

Look out for some of these titles
Black Mischief, Evelyn Waugh
Africa will never be the same once you’ve read this book.
Bosman at his best, a choice of stories and sketches culled by Lionel Abrahams
This is indeed a feast for the connoisseur.
Sonde met die bure and Met Herrie op die ou Tremspoor, C J Langenhoven
A master of the epigram, Langenhoven has an innate sense of the absurd.
Kooperasiestories, P G du Plessis.
Stephen Leacock defined humour as the kindly contemplation of the incongruities of life, and the artistic expression thereof. These stories are examples of the essence of humour.