Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
How to Tell a Joke: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Humor

How to Tell a Joke: An Ancient Guide to the Art of Humor

Cicero, Marcus Tullius
Fontaine, Michael
Fontaine, Michael

Hardcover

Series: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers

PhilosophySelf-Help

Publisher Price: $18.95

ISBN10: 0691206163
ISBN13: 9780691206165
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: Mar 30 2021
Pages: 328
Weight: 0.80
Height: 1.30 Width: 4.90 Depth: 6.90
Language: English

Timeless advice about how to use humor to win over any audience

Can jokes win a hostile room, a hopeless argument, or even an election? You bet they can, according to Cicero, and he knew what he was talking about. One of Rome's greatest politicians, speakers, and lawyers, Cicero was also reputedly one of antiquity's funniest people. After he was elected commander-in-chief and head of state, his enemies even started calling him the stand-up Consul. How to Tell a Joke provides a lively new translation of Cicero's essential writing on humor alongside that of the later Roman orator and educator Quintilian. The result is a timeless practical guide to how a well-timed joke can win over any audience.

As powerful as jokes can be, they are also hugely risky. The line between a witty joke and an offensive one isn't always clear. Cross it and you'll look like a clown, or worse. Here, Cicero and Quintilian explore every aspect of telling jokes--while avoiding costly mistakes. Presenting the sections on humor in Cicero's On the Ideal Orator and Quintilian's The Education of the Orator, complete with an enlightening introduction and the original Latin on facing pages, How to Tell a Joke examines the risks and rewards of humor and analyzes basic types that readers can use to write their own jokes.

Filled with insight, wit, and examples, including more than a few lawyer jokes, How to Tell a Joke will appeal to anyone interested in humor or the art of public speaking.

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