Wit's End
What Wit Is, How It Works, and Why We Need It

I was led to this book by listening to an episode of the "Art of Manliness" podcast that featured an interview with author James Geary. In all honesty, the interview was much more enjoyable for me than this book. I do acknowledge the brilliance demonstrated in the playful delivery of this well-resea......more

An interesting "anecdotal" read. Is it pretentious of me to even read a book like this? Possibly. Do I care? Not necessarily.......more

This one was ok, but a bit disappointing. I'm all for futzing with form and convention and writing in modes that suit the matter, but some of Geary's playing with genre here was just poorly executed, and I think I would have preferred a straight history of wit. There was a lot more flash here than s......more

Geary analyzes the topic of wit: what it is, how it is related to creativity and to the ability to let one's mind wander, how to develop it, how to appreciate it, the roles of banter and ambiguity. He mostly deals with verbal wit, but also coves visual and inventive wit. Each chapter is written in a......more

When writing a book on humor, you had better be funny. With both whimsical wordplay and a droll demeanor, James Geary gets us to the heart of humor without a minute of monotony. Geary begins with a defense of puns, suggesting it is not the lowest form of humor but its essence. Puns reveal inner conn......more