Benjamin Franklin's HumorAlthough he called himself merely a ŇprinterÓ in his will, Benjamin Franklin could have also called himself a diplomat, a doctor, an electrician, a frontier general, an inventor, a journalist, a legislator, a librarian, a magistrate, a postmaster, a promoter, a publisherŃand a humorist. John Adams wrote of Franklin, ŇHe had wit at will. He had humor that when he pleased was pleasant and delightful . . . [and] talents for irony, allegory, and fable, that he could adapt with great skill, to the promotion of moral and political truth.Ó In Benjamin FranklinŐs Humor, author Paul M. Zall shows how one of AmericaŐs founding fathers used humor to further both personal and national interests. Early in his career, Franklin impersonated the feisty widow Silence Dogood in a series of comically moralistic essays that helped his brother James outpace competitors in BostonŐs incipient newspaper market. In the mid-eighteenth century, he displayed his talent for comic impersonation in numerous editions of Poor RichardŐs Almanac, a series of pocket-sized tomes filled with proverbs and witticisms that were later compiled in FranklinŐs The Way to Wealth (1758), one of AmericaŐs all-time bestselling books. Benjamin Franklin was sure to be remembered for his early work as an author, printer, and inventor, but his accomplishments as a statesman later in life firmly secured his lofty stature in American history. Zall shows how Franklin employed humor to achieve desired ends during even the most difficult diplomatic situations: while helping draft the Declaration of Independence, while securing FranceŐs support for the American Revolution, while brokering the treaty with England to end the War for Independence, and while mediating disputes at the Constitutional Convention. He supervised and facilitated the birth of a nation with customary wit and aplomb. Zall traces the development of an acute sense of humor throughout the life of a great American. Franklin valued humor not as an end in itself but as a means to gain a competitive edge, disseminate information, or promote a program. Early in life, he wrote about timely topics in an effort to reach a mass reading class, leaving an amusing record of early American culture. Later, Franklin directed his talents toward serving his country. Regardless of its origin, the best of Benjamin FranklinŐs humor transcends its initial purpose and continues to evoke undying laughter at shared human experiences. |
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Paul Zall. "*1: 3,, J.“ "L1 *== ~ ' "'~.~ Lg; A L at _l \ _ -" \_!,aI BENJAMIN FRANH<LIN'S HUMOR PAUL M ZALL Benjamin Franklin's Humor Also by Paul M. Zall Abe Lincoln. Front cover.
Paul Zall. "*1: 3,, J.“ "L1 *== ~ ' "'~.~ Lg; A L at _l \ _ -" \_!,aI BENJAMIN FRANH<LIN'S HUMOR PAUL M ZALL Benjamin Franklin's Humor Also by Paul M. Zall Abe Lincoln. Front cover.
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... Laughing Blue and Gray Laughing Franklin on Franklin Jefferson on Jefferson Lincoln on Lincoln Mark Twain Laughing Washington on Washington The Wit and Wisdom of the Founding Fathers BENJAMIN FRANKLIN'S HUMOR THE UNIVERSITY PRESS OF ...
... Laughing Blue and Gray Laughing Franklin on Franklin Jefferson on Jefferson Lincoln on Lincoln Mark Twain Laughing Washington on Washington The Wit and Wisdom of the Founding Fathers BENJAMIN FRANKLIN'S HUMOR THE UNIVERSITY PRESS OF ...
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Paul Zall. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN'S HUMOR THE UNIVERSITY PRESS OF KENTUCKY BY PAUL M. ZALL Publication of this volume was made possible in part by.
Paul Zall. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN'S HUMOR THE UNIVERSITY PRESS OF KENTUCKY BY PAUL M. ZALL Publication of this volume was made possible in part by.
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... Franklin by Charles Van Loo. Courtesy of the American Philosophical Society. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Zall, Paul M. Benjamin Franklin's humor / by Paul M. Zall. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and ...
... Franklin by Charles Van Loo. Courtesy of the American Philosophical Society. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Zall, Paul M. Benjamin Franklin's humor / by Paul M. Zall. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and ...
Contents
1 | |
11 | |
27 | |
3 Philadelphias Poor Richard | 47 |
4 Philadelphia Comic Relief | 65 |
5 Making Friends Overseas | 85 |
6 Losing London | 103 |
7 Seducing Paris | 119 |
8 Comic Release | 137 |
9 Revising Past and Future | 153 |
Notes | 169 |
Sources | 175 |
Index | 181 |
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Common terms and phrases
22 September Albany Congress almanac American Andrew Bradford apologues bagatelles Benjamin Franklin Boston Britain British Business Busy-Body called character Colonies comic common Congress Court D. H. Lawrence Death Elegy England familiar letters Father Abraham Franklin Laughing Franklin on Franklin Franklin’s humor French Friend Gentleman give hear Honour Hoops Husband Ibid impersonated invective irony Jane Mecom Jonathan Swift Joseph Priestley Keimer Lemay liberty living London Lord Lord Hillsborough Madame Helvétius Man’s married Maypole Mother natural Neighbour never New-England Courant newspaper Number Papers Paris Parliament parody Pennsylvania Gazette perhaps Person petition Philadelphia Poor Richard says popular preface printed Printer proposed Public Advertiser readers Reason receiv’d satire Scalps September Silence Dogood sketch spirit story style Swift taxes tell thing Thomas Penn thou tion Titan Leeds told Wife wine Woman Women Words World Writings young Zall