Southern Humor by Roy Blount, Jr., the Essay

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Southern Humor" by Roy Blount, Jr., the author discusses the concept of humor in the American culture as unique to a given portion of that culture. His thesis is that the work of the southern humorists all possess similar characteristics which reflect the opinions and perspectives of that geographical location.

"At the bottom of Southern humor lies this fundamental truth: that nothing is less humorous, or less Southern, than making a genuine, good-faith effort to define and explain humor, particularly Southern humor" (Blount 156). Blount explains that he is often questioned to define humor, particularly that from the Southern region. Humor is something that is very hard to define. Something either is humorous or it is not and it is in the attempting to explain or to analyze that drains something of any humor it had once possessed. Once the joke is made, it is either understood or it is not, but if it has to be explained, any potential joy there was in the piece will be destroyed.

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"Maybe I get that thrill because I learned to appreciate early in life -- in the South -- both the Pledge of Allegiance and the American tradition of nothing sacred" (Blount 158). In American humor, either everything is okay to make fun of or nothing is. The South is a stereotypically patriotic and religious part of the country. Most people assume that because of these two ideas, there is no humor in the South. Blount assures the reader that this is not the case. It is combining the sincere of belief and the insincerity of humor and joviality and creates the unique tenor of Southern humor.

"Southern humor is usually better when it is trying to do justice to the nature of things than when it is trying to be comical" (Blount 159). This statement is true of most of the humor in the United States. Comedians and humorists try to illustrate a story, to….....

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