The Marx Brothers were masters at subtle and belittling humor. Often the recipients didn’t know they had been verbally assaulted. Here are a few examples:
“I never forget a face, but in your case I’ll be glad to make an exception.”
“You know, I’d buy you a parachute if I knew it wouldn’t open.”
“Remember men, we’re fighting for this woman’s honour; which is probably more than she ever did.”
“From the moment I picked up your book until I laid it down, I was convulsed with laughter. Some day I intend reading it.”
Douglas Adams does pretty well with that style of humor, too. This line, “I wish I had a daughter so I could forbid her to marry him” slips in quietly, but is a beautiful slam. (Yes, and you know who you are, we know we’re now in the 21st and a half century with Duck Dodgers, and a father ought not forbid is daughter from marriage, but in context, humor lives on.) Hitchhikers has a number of these fun and subtle zingers.
I’ve been looking for some funny books of late–the kind that make you laugh out loud. They’re hard to come by. It takes more time to set-up the joke in literature than it does with quick visuals or physical humor seen in film and television. Douglas Adam’s Hitchhiker’s Guide had a few good laughs–mostly because of his dry wit and absurdity. You can learn more about Adams and his writing in GoodReads. And if you know of any books that made you laugh out loud, let me know!
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