Comedy Quote by Italo Calvino
““it’s that particular connection between melancholy and humor that Klibansky, Panofsky, and Saxl examined in Saturn and Melancholy (1964). Just as melancholy is sadness made light, so humor is comedy that has lost its physical weight (that dimension of human carnality that, however, makes Boccaccio and Rabelais great) and casts doubts on the self, the world, and the entire network of relations they form.””
About This Quote
Source Book: Saturn and Melancholy, 1964
The quote links melancholy’s lightened sadness to humor’s weightless comedy, showing both challenge the self and world, and the network of relations.
In simple terms: Melancholy and humor both question reality.
Key Takeaway
Recognize how humor can reveal deeper doubts.
Themes
philosophy
literature
psychology
humor
melancholy
Mood
thoughtful
analytical
Type
critical
philosophical
When to use this quote
- academic discussion
- creative writing
- personal reflection
- critical theory
Key Concepts
existential doubt
cultural critique
artistic analysis
Questions to Reflect On
- How does humor change your perception of sadness?
- Can lightness in humor undermine seriousness?
A Different Perspective
Humor may not always lead to constructive insight.
![“But interviews with [Margaret Dumont] reveal her to have been a perceptive and talented comic actress. “Many a comedian’s lines have been lost on the screen because the laughter overlapped,” she said in the 1940s. “Script writers build up to a laugh, but they don’t allow any pause for it. That’s…” quote by Eve Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/cd4/eve-golden-25326_humor_but-interviews-with-margaret-dumont-reve_2290088.jpg)
