Monday, March 9, 2015

The importance of being not Jack

Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Ernest is chalk full of quick witted fast paced humor. Whether it’s tall aunts, cutting down marriage, or satirically critiquing high society, Oscar Wilde brings his humor A game. Specifically the scene when Lady Bracknell recalls her poor friend Lady Harbury. After her late husbands passing, Lady Bracknell claims that Lady Harbury looks twenty years younger and that her hair has turned gold with grief. The idea that the death of a husband could induce such a pleasant change in disposition spoken with the stone faced demeanor of the mournful, creates a sharp commentary on marriage that is still relevant and funny today.


As for todays humor there are plenty of quick-witted movies, shows, and books that induce laughter. One of my favorite examples of humor is David Sedaris’s book Me Talk Pretty One Day. The narrative from which the book gets its name is from David’s time spent in France learning French from a Hellish French teacher. Mr. Sedaris’s aspiration’s to learn the language of love are challenged by a hostile learning environment that produces one of the most laugh inducing paragraphs in the book. Sounding like someone confined to a labor camp, one of Sedaris’s fellow classmates gives a heart felt speech in broken French that is terribly laughable. As for the rest of the book, I strongly recommend it to anyone who has a funny bone and a few hours of free time.

No comments:

Post a Comment