(Notable Quotables is a meme originally brought to you by the Bewitched Bookworms. Every Monday you’re invited to share a favorite quote or two from the books you’ve been reading.)
I’ve always loved intelligent humor, especially puns. Low-brow humor just isn’t my thing, which explains why I dislike most films starring people like Jack Black, Will Ferrell, and Adam Sandler: sophomoric behavior, potty mouths, and fart jokes just aren’t my forte.
I do enjoy limericks though, which is strange, considering that most of them revolve around naughty jokes. But like every other person on the planet, I find sex to be funny. I’ll spare you the worst examples of dirty limericks, and will instead share with you a literary one:
“A goat on a stroll near a brook
Found an old movie film and partook.
‘Was it good?’ asked his mate.
Said the goat, ‘Second rate!
Not nearly as good as the book!’ “
And of course no one mastered the art of clever wordplay better than William Shakespeare. I could quote any number of excerpts here, but I’ll just put my favorite, which comes from The Taming of the Shrew:
” ‘Come, come you wasp, i’faith you are too angry.’
‘If I be waspish, best beware my sting.’
‘My remedy is then to pluck it out.’
‘Ay, if the fool could find where it lies.’
‘Who knows not where a wasp does wear his sting? In his tail.’
‘In his tongue.’
‘Whose tongue?’
‘Yours, if you talk of tales, and so farewell.’
‘What, with my tongue in your tail? Nay, come again, Good Kate, I am a gentleman.’
‘That I’ll try.’ “
Fabulous.
What’s your favorite kind of humor? What are you reading this week?
