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Artemus Ward

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Author

The Resume

    (April 26, 1834-March 6, 1867)
    Born in Waterford, Maine
    Birth name was Charles Farrar Brown
    Humorist, lecturer and short story writer
    Wrote for 'The Cleveland Plain Dealer,' 'Vanity Fair' and 'Punch'
    Stories collected in 'Artemus Ward: His Book,' 'Artemus Ward: His Panorama,' 'Artemus Ward: His Travels' and 'Artemus Ward in London'

Why he might be annoying:

    He changed his last name from 'Brown' to 'Browne.'
    Artemus Ward was originally a character in his stories before he adopted it as a pseudonym.
    His humor frequently relied on puns and comical misspellings.
    One modern reviewer of his writings noted, 'The comedy was chockful of racism, bigotry and xenophobia.' (Of course, as the reviewer added, 'So were the audiences of the day.')

Why he might not be annoying:

    Since he was the first lecturer to make his living from humorous monologues, he has been called 'the father of stand-up comedy.'
    His lecturing style was a major influence on Mark Twain when Twain hit the lecture circuit.
    He also arranged for the publication of Twain's first successful short story, 'The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County.'
    He was the favorite author of Abraham Lincoln, who rerad the short story 'A High-Handed Outrage at Utica' to his cabinet before presenting them with the Emancipation Proclamation.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 14 Votes: 85.71% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 6 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 21 Votes: 52.38% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying