The Art of Witty Comebacks ~Harper’s Bazaar
I am so behind on my magazine reading. I mean I am months behind!! So while waiting for the Bloglovin website to come up I picked up the September issue of Harper’s Bazaar and being to read an article called The Art of the Retort.
There were some excellent points on how to master the witty comeback. My husband is a very witty man and sometimes when we are alone at home I ask him how he comes up with his responses. He always tells me that he has no idea. I guess some people are just naturals at being a “smarty pants”.
But Joan Juliet Buck explores the power of wit. He are some of her points:
One, wit is a response. Two, wit must contain NO aggression. Three, wit must be fresh. Four, wit must be uttered with an innocent sincerity that turns reality on its head.
One: A witticism is a spontaneous reaction to a circumstance. A quip never refers to anything that is not happening right now, and cannot begin with “By the way…,” “The other day…,” “When I was a child…,” “or non sequiturs such as “I always thought dandelions were onions.” The quip must magnify the absurdity of the Here and Now, which requires some discipline, even training. There are shortcuts.
Two: There is nothing witty about expletives, aggression, or meanness. Action Theater, teaches you that the richest material comes from playing off a close observation of what the other person is doing or saying. Action Theater also teaches you to think not only on your feet but with your eyes, ears, hands and tips of your hair.
Three: Recycling will save the planet but is the death of wit. The best lines are best used once. Others can repeat your good lines, but you cannot. Quoting yourself is as bad as saying “I’m beautiful.”
The lonely wit must be sincere, unguarded, true. Anything really funny that is going to come out of your mouth won’t be the result of the calculation, research, product testing, rehearsal, dry runs. It will be the kiss of the flying spirit.
