The Pun Also Rises Audiobook By John Pollack cover art

The Pun Also Rises

How the Humble Pun Revolutionized Language, Changed History, and Made Wordplay More Than Some Antics

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The Pun Also Rises

By: John Pollack
Narrated by: Pete Larkin
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The pun is commonly dismissed as the lowest form of wit, and punsters are often unpopular for their obsessive wordplay. But such attitudes are relatively recent developments. In The Pun Also Rises, John Pollack - a former World Pun Champion and presidential speechwriter for Bill Clinton - explains why such wordplay is significant: It both revolutionized language and played a pivotal role in making the modern world possible.

Skillfully weaving together stories and evidence from history, brain science, pop culture, literature, anthropology, and humor, The Pun Also Rises is an authoritative yet playful exploration of a practice that is common, in one form or another, to virtually every language on earth. At once entertaining and educational, this engaging book answers fundamental questions: Just what is a pun, and why do people make them? How did punning impact the development of human language, and how did that drive creativity and progress? And why, after centuries of decline, does the pun still matter?

©2011 John Pollack (P)2011 Tantor Social Sciences Funny Witty

Critic reviews

"With his compelling narrative style, Pollack unearths hard evidence that the noble pun is much more than a literary step-child or linguistic anomaly. And as a practitioner of the art and artifice of wordplay himself, John naturally dedicates a bit of spice to peppering and assaulting us with a few subtle zingers of his zone." (Gary Hallock, producer of the O.Henry Pun-Off World Championships)
"Anyone with an interest in language is going to find this book fascinating." (David Crystal, author of How Language Works)
All stars
Most relevant  

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

I really enjoy puns and jokes of all sort, and this little book had a fun, pop exploration of the history of puns and their uses over time. Sometimes it overreached -- as when it tried to explain neurological processes that may or may not affect the punster's delivery or the audience's reception -- but for the most part it was a delightful little book.

Would you be willing to try another book from John Pollack? Why or why not?

Sure. I was specifically listening for the punnage, but if he took on a topic of similar note, I'd be interested.

Would you listen to another book narrated by Pete Larkin?

Yes. He was a good narrator.

Do you think The Pun Also Rises needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I have no opinion.

Punderful Little Book

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The history of punning is delightful. A great way to enjoy that isn't to punishing on the eerie canal.

fantastic! Anyone who enjoys some good word play.

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Some semi-organized thoughts...

This really got me thinking about how we use language.

This is exceptionally researched and crafted for storytelling. I actually liked how deep this went – beyond the humor and wit, and into the historical background (including resistance), psychology, and even the neurological processes with how we respond to puns.

I liked the history and explanation of why some people don’t find puns funny; even, juvenile. Fortunately, John's many examples show that one could use this book to be a "nayslayer."

I learned many new terms that relate to my own love for neologisms and the stories behind them.

The audiobook narrator is so good that I thought he could have been the author. Honestly, after watching the TEDx presentation of the author afterwards, I'm very grateful he hired a professional to do the reading. (My recommendation to John – work with a public speaking coach and learn to be more animated.)

People who are just looking for Dad jokes will not be patient enough for this, nor will they appreciate the "why" behind our delightfully twisted language tool we call the pun.

WHO WILL ESPECIALLY APPRECIATE THIS BOOK.

Pun lovers. Naturally, for pun lovers, this is an excellent gift.

Language lovers
• Anyone who geeks out over our English language and appreciates a creative vocabulary
• For linguists and semantics teachers
• Wordplay enthusiasts.

People looking to improve their social skills
• People looking for help with icebreakers
• People who tend to feel awkward in conversation
• People who could benefit from some motivation

Humorists
• Verbal humor
• Odd sense of humor
• People who want to be funnier and more engaging

Who punning may NOT be for...

• Non-native English speakers or those new to English-language cultures. It will be difficult for anyone who uses English as a second language, unless they are very proficient.
• Hyper-analytical people.
• People without a sense of humor; or those who fail to find the humor in bending language, usually dismissing puns and other wordplay as juvenile
• Strict conformists – people who need everything to be rigid and structured – only one way. (I.e., control freaks.)
• Snobs

ULTIMATELY...

I am very thankful that John Pollack is our 21st century punalogian. :-)

Puns are language tools that engage, educate, entertain. They are part of our ability to play with semantics.
We can use them to seem witty, be disarming, humorous, interesting, attention-getting, engaging, and make a point in a way that a direct reading might not be as effective. It’s also about the joy of playing with our words – to make communication worth a life on this planet, and our conversations enjoyable.


Good enough to listen through twice on a long hike

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