How to Tell a Joke

Hardcover, 328 pages

English, Latin language

Published March 29, 2021 by Princeton University Press.

ISBN:: 978-0-691-20616-5

(1 review)

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, …

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.

2 editions

Jullan reviewed How to Tell a Joke by Cicero (Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers, #16)

A good translation and many good jokes and quips

4 stars

I liked this one. It includes translations of segments from Cicero's work "On the Ideal Orator" and Quintilian's "The Education of the Orator". The overall theme is the question of whether humor be taught or is it a skill one is born with. Both texts strive at great lengths to categorize jokes and helpfully provide examples with them.

An excellent quality of this work, as if often the case with Cicero's works, is the sheer amount of examples provided. There is an unfortunate overlap of themes and jokes in between Cicero's and Quintilian's texts, where the latter often references the former. But I feel like Quintilian goes more in depth into the discussion of the topics than Cicero, even if Cicero does have a good structure in his text.

In regards to the translation Michael Fontaine, the translator/annotator, put it best: "Styles of translation vary. Some are literal, others go …

I liked this one. It includes translations of segments from Cicero's work "On the Ideal Orator" and Quintilian's "The Education of the Orator". The overall theme is the question of whether humor be taught or is it a skill one is born with. Both texts strive at great lengths to categorize jokes and helpfully provide examples with them.

An excellent quality of this work, as if often the case with Cicero's works, is the sheer amount of examples provided. There is an unfortunate overlap of themes and jokes in between Cicero's and Quintilian's texts, where the latter often references the former. But I feel like Quintilian goes more in depth into the discussion of the topics than Cicero, even if Cicero does have a good structure in his text.

In regards to the translation Michael Fontaine, the translator/annotator, put it best: "Styles of translation vary. Some are literal, others go for the gist. This one goes for the jest." And he did a good job, even if some jokes often do tend to fall short due to the subtle linguistic properties lost in the translation.

Subjects

Philosophy