Comedy emerges from faithful description of misery rather than deliberate humor

Evidence

Comedy is not generated by a writer who sails to her desk saying, “Now I will be funny.” It comes from someone who crawls to her desk, leaking shame and despair, and begins to describe faithfully how things are. In that fidelity to the details of misery, one feels relish. The grimmer it is, the better it is: slowly, reluctantly, comedy seeps through. — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 1044

Categorization

• corroborated: 3 independent passages support this claim — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 1044
• XREF: connects to: Understated comedy works better than laugh-hunting — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 518; Painful personal experiences can be transformed into slick witty comedy — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 375; Gentle, observant humor and calm pacing make art succeed where cynicism fails. — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 351 (+1 more)

Broader Connections

• Understated comedy works better than laugh-hunting #corroborates (0.85) — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 518
• Gentle, observant humor and calm pacing make art succeed where cynicism fails. #corroborates (0.75) — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 351
• Painful personal experiences can be transformed into slick witty comedy #qualifies (0.60) — Hilary Mantel, A Memoir of My Former Self- A Life in…, 375