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Paul Joel Freeman
After receiving a PhD from Stanford University, Paul Joel Freeman went into university teaching. There he quickly learned that a sure way to keep students alert during the traditio...view moreAfter receiving a PhD from Stanford University, Paul Joel Freeman went into university teaching. There he quickly learned that a sure way to keep students alert during the traditional 50 minute lecture was to use language itself as a stimulant. English with its built-in frailties, foibles, and paradoxes could be used to surprise students with wit and humor, providing welcome breaks in an ordinary staid lecture. While some students did awake refreshed at the end of class, others remained titillated enough to actually stay with the lecture throughout the period.
Encouraged by the success of using “wit in language” as a teaching tool, Dr. Freeman became curious as to what underlay wit itself. How was it used in everyday communication? Could it be used to ease the tedium of humdrum jobs? Did it have any role in business, advertising, medicine? Was it an apt subject for investigation in these and other areas, or would it simply defy analysis? Above all, could wit be learned? This book is the result of that inquiry.view less