As the tragic writer rids us of what is petty and ignoble in our nature, so also the humorist rids us of what is cautious, calculating, and priggish—about half of our social conscience, indeed. Both of them permit us, in blessed moments of revelation, to soar above the common level of our lives.
ATTRIBUTION:
Robertson Davies (b. 1913), Canadian novelist, journalist. “Tragedy Rises to Balance Comedy,” A Voice from the Attic, Knopf (1960).
