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Bob Mankoff’s TED Talk on the Anatomy of a New Yorker cartoon

Alan Gardner51 mins

A great talk by New Yorker cartoon editor Bob Mankoff about constructing humor in the New Yorker and in cartooning in general.

5 thoughts on “Bob Mankoff’s TED Talk on the Anatomy of a New Yorker cartoon”

  2. I watched about two thirds of it when it was posted to Facebook by the New Yorker. I love the New Yorker and the cartoons it carries, but I thought Mankoff’s talk was over-analytical and unnecessary. It’s like being really fond of dolphins, finding a dolphin, and cutting it open to see what makes it work. Then, you no longer have a dolphin. It’s not a huge issue, but I’ve always felt putting humor under a microscope takes the fun away.

  3. Great stuff. Love some of the examples of breaking humor down. There is a lot of truth in what he says and how we as the reader interpret different sorts of humor.

  4. his guy is great at explaining humor and the process. Check out his ‘Naked Cartoonist’ it uncovers writing humor in an incredibly creative and informative way. He is a good educator and the ideas he discusses are really helpful for improving your writing and humor. Finally a TED lecture I can relate too!

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