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How to Tell a Story
.br
by Mark Twain

The Humorous Story an American
Development.\(emIts Difference from Comic
and Witty Stories

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I do not claim that I can tell a story
as it ought to be told. I only claim to
know how a story ought to be told, for
I have been almost daily in the company
of the most expert story-tellers for
many years.
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There are several kinds of stories, but
only one difficult kind--the humorous.
I will talk mainly about that one. The
humorous story is American, the comic
story is English, the witty story is
French. The humorous story depends for
its effect upon the MANNER of the
telling; the comic story and the witty
story upon the MATTER.

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The humorous story may be spun out to
great length, and may wander around as
much as it pleases, and arrive nowhere
in particular; but the comic and witty
stories must be brief and end with a
point. The humorous story bubbles
gently along, the others burst.

The humorous story is strictly a work
of art--high and delicate art--and only
an artist can tell it; but no art is
necessary in telling the comic and the
witty story; anybody can do it. The art
of telling a humorous
story--understand, I mean by word of
mouth, not print--was created in
America, and has remained at home.