Table Of ContentHOW TO TELL A JOKE
ancient wisdom for modern readers
How to Tell a Joke: An Ancient Guide to the Art
of Humor by Marcus Tullius Cicero
How to Keep an Open Mind: An Ancient Guide to
Thinking Like a Skeptic by Sextus Empiricus
How to Be Content: An Ancient Poet’s Guide
for an Age of Excess by Horace
How to Give: An Ancient Guide to Giving and Receiving by Seneca
How to Drink: A Classical Guide to the Art
of Imbibing by Vincent Obsopoeus
How to Be a Bad Emperor: An Ancient Guide
to Truly Terrible Leaders by Suetonius
How to Be a Leader: An Ancient Guide
to Wise Leadership by Plutarch
How to Think about God: An Ancient Guide for Believers
and Nonbelievers by Marcus Tullius Cicero
How to Keep Your Cool: An Ancient Guide
to Anger Management by Seneca
How to Think about War: An Ancient Guide
to Foreign Policy by Thucydides
How to Be Free: An Ancient Guide to the Stoic Life by Epictetus
How to Be a Friend: An Ancient Guide to True
Friendship by Marcus Tullius Cicero
How to Die: An Ancient Guide to the End of Life by Seneca
How to Win an Argument: An Ancient Guide to the
Art of Persuasion by Marcus Tullius Cicero
How to Grow Old: Ancient Wisdom for the Second
Half of Life by Marcus Tullius Cicero
How to Run a Country: An Ancient Guide for
Modern Leaders by Marcus Tullius Cicero
How to Win an Election: An Ancient Guide for
Modern Politicians by Quintus Tullius Cicero
HOW TO TELL
A JOKE
An Ancient Guide to the Art of Humor
Marcus Tullius Cicero
Selected, translated, and introduced
by Michael Fontaine
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Cicero, Marcus Tullius, author. | Fontaine, Michael, editor,
translator, writer of supplementary textual content. | Cicero, Marcus
Tullius. De oratore. Liber 2.216–290. English (Fontaine) | Cicero, Marcus
Tullius. De oratore. Liber 2.216–290. Latin (Fontaine) | Quintilian.
Institutiones oratoriae. Liber 6. Caput 3. English (Fontaine) | Quintilian.
Institutiones oratoriae. Liber 6. Caput 3. Latin (Fontaine)
Title: How to tell a joke : an ancient guide to the art of humor / Marcus
Tullius Cicero ; selected, translated, and introduced by Michael Fontaine.
Other titles: Ancient wisdom for modern readers.
Description: Princeton ; Oxford : Princeton University Press, 2021. |
Series: Ancient wisdom for modern readers | Includes bibliographical
references. | In English translation with original Latin text;
introduction and epilogue in English.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020044600 (print) | LCCN 2020044601 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780691206165 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780691211077 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Wit and humor—Early works to 1800. |
Joking—Early works to 1800.
Classification: LCC PA6308.D6 F66 2021 (print) |
LCC PA6308.D6 (ebook) | DDC 875/.01—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020044600
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020044601
Editorial: Rob Tempio and Matt Rohal
Production Editorial: Sara Lerner
Text and Jacket Design: Pamela L. Schnitter
Production: Erin Suydam
Publicity: Jodi Price and Amy Stewart
Copyeditor: Jennifer Harris
Jacket Image: Cicero / Photo: Shutterstock, adapted by ajibson
This book has been composed in Stempel Garamond
Printed on acid- free paper. ∞
Printed in the United States of Ameri ca
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
δοκεῖ δὲ καὶ γέλωτος οἰκεῖος ὁ Κικέρων γεγονέναι
καὶ φιλοσκώπτης.
Cicero was seemingly addicted to laughter and
to being a smartass.
—p lutarch,
comparison of dem ost hen es
and cicero (1.6)
CONTENTS
Acknowl edgments ix
Introduction xi
How to Tell a Joke 1
CICERO
On the Art of Humor 142
QUINTILIAN
Epilogue 271
Notes 275
Bibliography and Further Reading 289
ACKNOWLE DGMENTS
Jocus est sapientia magna,
et jocus interdum plus gravitate valet.
A joke is great wisdom,
and a joke sometimes outwits severity.
—m atthew delius,
the art of joking (4.399–400)
Delius is right, so it is a plea sure to thank Rob
Tempio for letting me play Perkeo in this series
once more. I am also grateful to Valzhyna Mort,
Mark Saltveit, Tessy Schlosser, and Joel Stein
for sharing their insights on comedy or trans-
lation with me, and to the two referees whose
excellent suggestions made every thing better.
On a personal note, my heartfelt thanks go
to Xiomara Gómez for her constant support,
ix
ACKNOWL EDGMENTS
and, of course, to Ava, Jake, and Alyssa. Dur-
ing the coronavirus lockdown of 2020, they
were my first audience, and second, and
third. . . . I thank them for humoring me.
Last, I would like to acknowledge the advice
and encouragement of George Thomas, who
writes u nder the name Quintus Curtius, with
a proverb he will recognize:
Quam quisque norit artem, in hac se
exerceat.
We each o ught ply the trade that we know
best.
Here I go.
Ithaca, New York
x
