Artemus Ward

Charles Ferrar Browne also known as Artemus Wardwas arguably the first humorist in the United Stateswith a national reputation. Even Mark Twain himselfcalled Ward America's greatest humorist anddescribed his 1863 Babes in the Wood lecture as thefunniest thing he had ever heard. W.D. Howells alsoidentified Ward as the person who first gave theworld a taste of the humor that characterizes thewhole American people. A journalist who parlayedthe success of his published letters into asuccessful career as the first comedic lecturertouring the nation Ward brought prestige to Americanhumor both nationally and abroad. Today howeverWard's literary reputation is largely forgotten. This book therefore brings Ward's unique style ofwritten humor and his lecturing success from theobscurity of the mid-nineteenth century into thesignificance of contemporary cultural studies. Thiswork traces the growth of Ward's literary reputationby examining the rhetorical quality of his gentlesatire that made his humor so vastly popular in histime. It is mainly useful to scholars of Americanhumor and to anyone who delights in the comic powerof the written and spoken word.