Curiosities & wonders > Reflections upon laughter

UPON LAUGHTER. 19
bafenefs or deformity, unlefs we are ftudying
to repreient an objeft as bale and deformed.
Now this fort of wit is feldom apt to move
Laughter, more than heroic poetry.
That then which fee ms generally the caufe
cf Laughter, is “ the bringing together of i-
“ mages which have contrary additional ide-
“ as, as well as feme refemblance in the prin-
“ cipal idea: this contraft between ideas of
“ grandeur, dignity, fanftity, perfe£ik»n, and
“ ideasofmeannefs, bafenefs, profanity, feems
“ to be the very fpirit of burlefque; and the
“ greateft part of our raillery and jell is
“ founded upon it.”
\V e alfb find ourfelves moved to Laughter
by an overftraining of wit, by bringing refem-
blances from fubjefts of a quite different kind
from the fubjecl to which they are compared.
“ When we fee, inflead of the eafmefs, and
“ natural refemblance, which conftitutes true
“ wit, a forced ftraining of a likenefs, our
“ Laughter is apt to arife; as alfb, when the
“ only refemblance is not in the idea, but in
“ the found of the words.” And this is the
matter of Laughter in the pun.
Let us fee if this thought may not be con¬
firmed in many inflances. If any writing has
obtained an high character for grandeur, fan-
ftity, infpiration, or fublirn.ty of thoughts,
and boldnefs of images; the application of
any