Who Couldn’t Use a Smile?

Last week I read The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. Raise your hand if you’ve read this novel. If you’re hand is lifted, I bet it's clutching a soggy tissue. Holy waterworks is this novel amazing. I loved the way John Green delved deep into the heavy-duty issues of sickness and health, life and death, yet sprinkled in wit at the exact moments when the  Photo by Grafixar at www.morguefile.comreader (or, at least, this reader) needed relief in the form of a smile. As in life, when situations get tough, a grin, a snicker, or a laugh is welcome medicine.

Yet, wit can be tricky. It’s about perception. It’s intelligent rather than slapstick. And although what I find hilarious may not be what another person finds funny, some elements of wit seem almost universal. Don’t you smile or snicker at an unexpected perspective or absurdity? Don’t you giggle or at least grin at a surprise understatement? This sort of wit often stems from characters and their actions. So, it can make these characters more endearing. The Fault in Our Stars is a great example of character wit. And yes, these characters are endearing--thus, the tissues.

Have you read a novel ripe with wit? Do you appreciate it in writing?

If you are a writer, do you incorporate wit into your writing? If so, what sort of wit works best for you?