Foreword | September 01, 1992
Foreword
Speer Morgan
This foreword is not currently available online.
Great comedy is like a fine magic act. A magician turns commonplace things like eggs or scarves into items of wonder and amazement. The egg is wonderful because he has made it appear. How did he do that? Great comedy turns the most ordinary materials — humble characters, banal motives — into something sublimely other. The basis of comedy lies in the transformation itself.
If you are a student, faculty member, or staff member at an institution whose library subscribes to Project Muse, you can read this piece and the full archives of the Missouri Review for free. Check this list to see if your library is a Project Muse subscriber.
Want to read more?
Subscribe TodaySEE THE ISSUE
SUGGESTED CONTENT
Foreword
Jan 07 2022
Foreword: How Did I Get Here?
“How did I get here?” is a recurring question in one of my favorite songs, “Once in a Lifetime” by the Talking Heads. It is an anthem to the uncertainty… read more
Foreword
Aug 20 2021
Foreword: Moving On
Moving On When excited about a piece of writing, I often sense a largeness to it that exceeds what I first fully understand. As an editor, I’ve had that experience… read more
Foreword
Jun 02 2021
Foreword: What You Live For
What You Live For One would like to think the pandemic has inspired us to be more productively introverted, weighing what we are doing and why. But of course, the… read more