"Comedy has to be done en clair. You can't blunt the edge of wit or the point of satire with obscurity. Try to imagine a famous witty saying that is not immediately clear"
- James Thurber
About this Quote
This quote by James Thurber talks to the value of clearness in funny. He recommends that comedy should be done "en clair," which is a French expression significance "in clear." This indicates that comedy must be direct and quickly understood. Thurber goes on to state that wit and satire should not be obscured by obscurity. He challenges the reader to envision a well-known witty saying that is not instantly clear. This recommends that comedy ought to be direct and quickly understood, instead of depending on unknown language or metaphors. It is very important for funny to be clear and direct in order to be effective. If the audience does not comprehend the joke, then it will not be amusing. Thurber's quote stresses the importance of clarity in funny, and motivates the reader to think of witty sayings that are direct and easily comprehended.
This quote is written / told by James Thurber between December 8, 1894 and November 2, 1961. He/she was a famous Comedian from USA.
The author also have 46 other quotes.
"Whereas you have someone like Houdini, who works really, really hard to get really, really famous, and then has actual intellectual ideas that he puts into the culture that stay there"
"So I'm a young boy in the 1940s growing up, seeing Ralph Bunche on a regular basis, seeing Duke Ellington on a regular basis. We know that these people are famous. They're living in the same community as we live in. They go to the same stores and shops"
"I think in the end, when you're famous, people like to narrow you down to a few personality traits. I think I've just become this ambitious, say-whatever's-on-her-mind, intimidating person. And that's part of my personality, but it's certainly not anywhere near the whole thing"
"I never wanted to do biography just to tell the life of a famous man. I always wanted to use the life of a man to examine political power, because democracy shapes our lives"
"One of the pleasant duties of America's most famous announcers during the relatively short swing era of the big bands was to host late-night remotes from some of the most famous ballrooms throughout the country"
"I served the famous professors and scholars, and eventually they learned that the Reverend Moon is superior to them. Even Nobel laureate academics who thought they were at the center of knowledge are as nothing in front of me"
"Italian girls are famous for being snobby and expecting men to make the first move. In America, if I don't make eye contact, the guys won't come over and talk. American girls just go for it. You men are spoiled"
