Talk:Rule of three (writing)

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The part on music is quite ridiculous, it has nothing to do with writing, this is the rule of three (writing) page! I removed it. 201.17.81.190 21:10, 4 December 2007 (UTC)

"In comedy, it is suggested that maximum humor can be attained by creating a structure in which a joke is set up, the setup is reinforced, and the punchline breaks the pattern."

Isn't this nothing more than simply saying a joke has a beginning, middle and end? Citizen Premier 23:54, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

No, it is quite different. To say a joke has a beginning, a middle and an end tells the reader nothing about the function of the different parts, whereas qualitatively describing the roles of these parts elucidates the concept for the reader. Genedecanter 01:40, 2 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Is this a stub?

It seems woefully incomplete. Is this perhaps just some idea someone had or is this an established theory and practice. It needs filled out, and is fairly worthless in its present form.

[edit] Useful for classes

As a professor, I can say it was helpful to have a printed source to show my classes. It's a basic principle of humor. Please leave it in.

But I sympathize with the comment above. The problem is, "the rule of three"-- which Steve Martin just invoked on Saturday Night Live a month ago, as his justification for slapping a fellow actor three times, though the script apparently only said to hit her twice-- is oral tradition, like much of comedy theory. There's a lot of comedy theory, but it isn't written down, and has a hard time getting into Wikipedia. (Anybody who watched Crimes and Misdemeanors remembers Allan Alda's character's repeated "If it bends, it's funny. If it BREAKS, it ain't funny." ) Profhum (talk) 18:47, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] I removed the myth about Japanese culture

See Japanese_etiquette#Gifts_and_gift-giving for an explanation of why I did it. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Carlj7 (talk • contribs) 10:30, 24 April 2007 (UTC).