A joke is a display of humor in which words are used within a specific, well-defined narrative structure to make an audience laugh, and it is usually not meant to be interpreted literally.
Facts
Place of OriginAncient Sumer (Mesopotamia) 1 Notable ExampleWestcar Papyrus joke about Sneferu (Ancient Egypt, c. 1600 BC) 1 Defining TraitWords used in a specific narrative structure to make an audience laugh, not meant literally 1 Sources
1. Joke - Wikipedia
History in Print section, paragraph 1
The oldest identified joke is an ancient Sumerian proverb from 1900 BC containing toilet humour: 'Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband's lap.'
History in Print section, paragraph 2
The second oldest joke found, discovered on the Westcar Papyrus and believed to be about Sneferu, was from Ancient Egypt c. 1600 BC: 'How do you entertain a bored pharaoh? You sail a boatload of young women dressed only in fishing nets down the Nile and urge the pharaoh to go catch a fish.'
Introduction section, opening sentence
A joke is a display of humour in which words are used within a specific and well-defined narrative structure to make people laugh and is usually not meant to be interpreted literally.
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