"The comic is the perception of the opposite; humor is the feeling of it"

Umberto Eco's quote suggests that comedy and humor are 2 distinct yet related concepts. The comic is the understanding of the opposite, which is the ability to recognize the incongruity in between 2 ideas or scenarios. This could be a joke, a pun, or a play on words. Humor, on the other hand, is the sensation of it. It is the emotional action to the comic, the laughter or amusement that comes from recognizing the incongruity. Simply put, the comic is the intellectual acknowledgment of the joke, while humor is the psychological response to it. This quote highlights the importance of both the comic and the humor in producing a successful joke. Without the comic, there is no joke, and without the humor, there is no laughter.