Humor, laughter, and all that wit

Studying humour is a deadly serious matter. Any reader of English poetry may revel in its comic works which are more than numerous. In fact, England, quoting Pushkin's words, is "the birthplace of caricature and parody". It seems worthwhile to analyze a handful of terms related to the problem of laughter in literature. Here's a quick glance at the following bagful of definitions.

CARICATURE [from the Italian 'caricare' = to load, exaggerate ] denotes a picture or description in which features are exaggerated or distorted so as to produce an absurd effect.

COMIC [from the Greek 'komos' = revelry ] denotes something provoking mirth; funny, ludicrous; serves as synonym to 'humourous'.

EPIGRAM [from the Greek 'epi' = upon + 'graphein' = to write ] is a brief, clever, pointed remark or observation typically marked by antithesis; it is also a short, pithy piece of verse with a witty, often satirical point.

HUMOUR [from the Latin 'umere' = to be moist ] means the quality of anything that is funny and appeals to the comic sense; also the ability to appreciate or express what is amusing, comic, etc.

IRONY [from the Greek 'eiron' = to dissembler ] means a sarcastic or humourous manner of discourse in which what is said is meant to express its opposite.

PARODY [from the Greek 'paroidia' = burlesque poem or song ] denotes a humourous or burlesque imitation of a literary or musical work or style.

SATIRE [from the Latin '(lanx) satura'= fruit salad, full dish ] means the use of sarcasm, irony, or wit in exposing abuses or follies; in general, any ridicule.

WIT [of Old English origin] denotes, among its many meanings, the ready perception and happy expression of unexpected or amusing relations between apparently incongruous ideas; also, the one who has a keen perception of the incongruous or ludicrous and makes skilful use of it in writing or speaking.

All these terms show but one thing: laughter is very deeply rooted in European literary culture. In fact, the most ancient specimen of a parody, for instance, is The War of the Mice and Frogs; it is a parody on the Ilyad, and it is sometimes attributed to Homer himself!