Fun VS Funny

I think part of what I like about puns is the reaction. I mean, what is life without a few moans and groans?

I would also say that in order to fully appreciate puns, you have to have a prior knowledge about the subject, or the context. A pun out of context is a bathtub in the middle of the ocean. Basically pointless, and hard to make sense of.

So there are two things that you need to have in order for puns to be funny: knowledge, and a fun reaction.

Now we come to the interesting part: no matter what, puns are fun to make and deliver. That does not necessarily mean that they are funny. The process of coming up with clever wordplay and then eliciting a reaction from someone (whether a good one or a bad one) is fun. But that does not mean it is funny. In fact, the reactions are probably more funny than the pun itself, mostly because reactions can almost always be understood, while wordplay is harder to grasp.

I for one enjoy making puns. I enjoy annoying the crap out of my family and friends with incessant wordplay. But just because I enjoy doing it, just because it is fun, doesn’t mean it is also funny.

However, reading puns brings me as much enjoyment as creating them. Often have I laughed as I scroll through pages of puns. Most get a smirk, or a grunt, but some get me giggling. Some puns are funny. Sometimes it’s a matter of delivery. Sometimes it’s about the subject matter. I think puns have the potential to be not just fun but funny... if they’re done right.

P.S. When people ask me what pronouns I use, I’m going to say Proseritto. That is gold. :)