I think that - like a lot of arguments - Joel Cuthbertson's overstates one aspect of an issue to make his point. Yes, humor is a part of many great works, but that does not make them per se humorous. It just makes them more complete and contributes to their staying power. Does "Hamlet" have some funny moments? Yes. Is it a humorous play?…
I think that - like a lot of arguments - Joel Cuthbertson's overstates one aspect of an issue to make his point. Yes, humor is a part of many great works, but that does not make them per se humorous. It just makes them more complete and contributes to their staying power. Does "Hamlet" have some funny moments? Yes. Is it a humorous play? Probably only to snarky people. No one was better at putting humor in his books than Charles Dickens, but it is only a part of what makes "Bleak House" seem like a whole society between two covers. So, humor? Yes. Humorous? Not really.
Totally agree. One of the funniest parts of "Bleak House" is (spoiler alert!) William Guppy's proposal to Esther Summerson. It's right up there with Mr. Collin's proposal to Lizzie Bennet in "Pride and Prejudice."
I think that - like a lot of arguments - Joel Cuthbertson's overstates one aspect of an issue to make his point. Yes, humor is a part of many great works, but that does not make them per se humorous. It just makes them more complete and contributes to their staying power. Does "Hamlet" have some funny moments? Yes. Is it a humorous play? Probably only to snarky people. No one was better at putting humor in his books than Charles Dickens, but it is only a part of what makes "Bleak House" seem like a whole society between two covers. So, humor? Yes. Humorous? Not really.
Totally agree. One of the funniest parts of "Bleak House" is (spoiler alert!) William Guppy's proposal to Esther Summerson. It's right up there with Mr. Collin's proposal to Lizzie Bennet in "Pride and Prejudice."