The hard core of morality and even of religion seems to me to be just what makes good comedy possible...Where there is no norm, nothing can be ridiculous, except for a brief moment of unbalanced provincialism in which we may laugh at the merely unfamiliar. Unless there is something about which the author is never ironical, there can be no true irony in the work.

Summary

This quote suggests that the essence of morality and religion lays the foundation for good comedy. It argues that for something to be considered ridiculous or for irony to exist, there needs to be a norm or a moral framework against which it can be compared. Without a standard to establish what is expected or acceptable, the concept of comedy or irony loses its meaning. The quote highlights that comedy relies on the presence of a shared moral code that allows certain behaviors or situations to be seen as comical, contrasting the familiar with the unfamiliar.

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