Earlier this week I asked a question on Bluesky: what is the earliest piece of media you find intentionally very funny? I wanted to leave the question open but used the “very” intensifier to make sure we weren’t just in the wry chuckle zone.
Here are the answers I got – the official chronological history of funny things from ancient times to now.
Prehistory – Ancient history: “ancient statues with oversized schlongs” – intentionality a matter of debate
440 BCE: HERODOTUS, The Histories (History) – only parts are funny
405 BCE: ARISTOPHANES, The Frogs (Play) – other plays also mentioned
c.390 BCE on: DIOGENES, Assorted sayings (Philosophy/Performance Art)
c.385 BCE: PLATO, The Symposium (Philosophy)
62 BCE Onwards: CATULLUS, Assorted Poems (Poetry)
8 CE: OVID, Metamorphoses (Poem)
c.60 CE: PETRONIUS, Satyricon (Novel)
c.101 Onwards: JUVENAL, Assorted Poems (Poetry)
121 CE: SUETONEUS, The 12 Caesars (Biography) – only parts are funny
c. 960 CE: UNKNOWN AUTHOR, Exeter Riddle #25
c.1000 CE: SEI SHONAGON, The Pillow Book (Autobiography)
c.1250 CE: SNORRI STURLUSON, Egill’s Saga (Poem)
c.1353: BOCCACIO, The Decameron (Stories)
c.1390 CE: GEOFFREY CHAUCER, “The Miller’s Tale” (Poem, part of The Canterbury Tales) – other tales mentioned
c.1450 (compiled): VARIOUS AUTHORS, The Thousand And One Nights (Stories)
1511 CE: WYNKIN DE WORDE, The Demaundes Joyous (Joke Book)
1522 CE: WU CHENG’EN, Journey To The West (Novel)
1532 CE Onwards: FRANCOIS RABELAIS, Gargantua And Pantagruel (Novel)
1580 CE: MICHEL DE MONTAIGNE, Essays (Essays)
1599 CE: WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE, Much Ado About Nothing (Play) – other Shakespeare mentioned
1607 CE: FRANCIS BEAUMONT, The Knight Of The Burning Pestle (Play)
1605 CE: MIGUEL DE CERVANTES, Don Quixote (Novel) – mentioned by loads of people
1676 CE: THOMAS SHADWELL, The Virtuoso (Play)
1722 CE: DANIEL DEFOE, Moll Flanders (Novel)
1749 CE: HENRY FIELDING, Tom Jones (Novel)
1759 CE: LAWRENCE STERNE, The Life And Opinions Of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (Novel)
1759 CE: VOLTAIRE, Candide (Novel)
c.1780 CE: MARQUIS DE SADE, The 120 Days Of Sodom (Novel)
1806 CE: JAMES BERESFORD, The Miseries Of Human Life (Catalogue of Woes)
1815 CE: JANE AUSTEN, Pride And Prejudice (Novel) – mentioned by loads of people
1844 CE: ALEXANDRE DUMAS, The Three Musketeers (Novel)
1848 CE: WILLIAM MAKEPEACE THACKERAY, Vanity Fair (Novel)
1850 CE: CHARLES DICKENS, David Copperfield (Novel)
1851 CE: HERMAN MELVILLE, Moby-Dick (Novel)
1870 CE: GUSTAVE FLAUBERT, The Dictionary Of Received Ideas (Dictionary)
c.1875 CE: MARK TWAIN, “The Jumping Frog” (Short Story)
1889 CE: JEROME K JEROME, Three Men In A Boat (Novel)
1892 CE: GEORGE & WEEDEN GROSSMITH, Diary Of A Nobody (Novel)
1895 CE: OSCAR WILDE, The Importance Of Being Earnest (Play)
1900 CE Onwards: L FRANK BAUM, Oz novels (Novels)
1904 CE Onwards: SAKI, Short Stories esp. “The She Wolf”, “The Open Window”, “The Easter Egg” (Stories)
1905 CE: MARK SHERIDAN – “At The Football Match Last Saturday” (Song)
1905 CE Onwards: A.D.CONDO, The Outbursts Of Everett True (Comic Strip)
1915 CE: GEORGE GROSSMITH – “Murderers” (Song)
1917 CE Onwards: HAROLD LLOYD silent films (Films)
1917 CE: Stars And Bars (Film)
1921 CE: ALDOUS HUXLEY, Crome Yellow
1924 CE: Sherlock Jr (Film starring BUSTER KEATON)
1925 CE: ANITA LOOS, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Novel)
1926 CE: A.A. MILNE, Winnie The Pooh (Stories)
1933 CE: Duck Soup (Film starring THE MARX BROTHERS) – multiple Marx Brothers films mentioned
1936 CE: Modern Times (Film starring CHARLIE CHAPLIN)
1937 CE: Way Out West (Film starring LAUREL AND HARDY)
1938 CE: Bringing Up Baby (Film)
1951 CE Onwards: The Goon Show (Radio Show)
1968 CE Onwards: Dad’s Army (Sitcom by JIMMY PERRY & DAVID CROFT)