plays on words, words at play

i was talking with a musician friend of mine about lyrics one day. his lyrics always seem to be of the smart variety. on the surface the music appeals to a large audience but if you can dig deeper there's another level of appreciation. in the course of our conversation i concluded that a peak moment for myself and many of you may contain an a-ha experience when you "get" something.

puns are of this ilk. you have to have a certain level of experience and comprehension to understand what's funny about a pun. puns and word play often go undetected by children accounting for much of the success of bugs bunny and the looney tunes franchise. i enjoy chuckling to myself while watching an episode of spongebob because of the adult humor.

an interview on NPR from the author of "the pun also rises":



e.e. cummings often took word play to the level of the letter. reading e.e. cummings can be like playing boggle in a dimension where everything is an impressionist painting. the curious brain is tickled when it uncovers the pyrite contained within.



as much as puns and word play can grind on others i have a heckuva time stopping myself. but much like there is no good or bad hype as long as you take the bait, i've got you hooked.

By chrysanthalbee with No comments