It takes ten years, usually, to make a dancer. It takes ten years of handling the instrument, handling the material with which you are dealing, for you to know it completely.
Martha GrahamRead
Comedy is a reflection. We create nothing. We set no styles, no standards. We're reflections. It's a distorted mirror in the fun house. We watch society. As society behaves, then we have the ability to make fun of it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Comedy mirrors society, reflecting its behaviors and trends in a humorous way.
In this quote, Alan King highlights the nature of comedy as a form of reflection rather than innovation. He suggests that comedians do not invent new ideas or norms; instead, they observe and interpret the behaviors of society, using humor to illuminate the absurdities and peculiarities of everyday life, much like a funhouse mirror that distorts reality but also reveals truth in its own way.
Themes
ComedySocietyReflectionHumorMirror
In practice
Example use cases
In a stand-up routine discussing everyday life.
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