The Triumph of Wit: A Study of Victorian Comic Theory

by Robert Bernard Martin

. 1974, bright clean copy, with dustjacket, no markings, Professional booksellers since 1981

105 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1974

Reviews

[Dru Pagliassotti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for a research paper I'm writing, but I think the book is accessible enough to appeal to any reader interested in the topic. The Triumph of Wit analyzes the ways in which Victorians sought to differentiate humor from wit, the moral values they assigned to each, and — most entertainingly — the ways in which they associated humor and wit with phrenology. The book is a good reminder to writers like me that the ways in which a society understands certain concepts and behaviors changes over time, and that I might be able to make my historical works more interesting by suggesting those differences to my readers, rather than simply and lazily transplanting contemporary values and concepts into historical eras.