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1、THEBESTAMERICANHUMOROUSSHORTSTORIESEditedbyALEXANDERJESSUP,Editorof"RepresentativeAmericanShortStories,""TheBookoftheShortStory,"the"LittleFrenchMasterpieces"Series,etc.INTRODUCTIONThisvolumedoesnotaimtocontainall"thebestAmericanhumorousshortstories";therearemanyotherstoriesequall
2、yasgood,Isuppose,inmuchthesamevein,scatteredthroughtherangeofAmericanliterature.Ihavetriedtokeepacertainunityofaimandimpressioninselectingthesestories.InthefirstplaceIdeterminedthatthepiecesofbrieffictionwhichIincludedmustfirstofallbenotmerelygoodstories,butgoodshortstories.Iputmy
3、selfinthepositionofonewhowasabouttoselectthebestshortstoriesinthewholerangeofAmericanliterature,[1]butwho,justbeforehestartedtodothis,wasnotifiedthathemustrefrainfromselectinganyofthebestAmericanshortstoriesthatdidnotcontaintheelementofhumortoamarkeddegree.ButIhavekeptinmindthewid
4、eboundariesofthetermhumor,andalsothefactthatthehumorousstandardshouldbekeptsecond—althoughaclosesecond—totheshortstorystandard.Inviewofthenecessarylimitationsastothevolume'ssize,IcouldnothopetorepresentallperiodsofAmericanliteratureadequately,norwasthisnecessaryinordertogiveexampl
5、esofthebestthathasbeendoneintheshortstoryinahumorousveininAmericanliterature.Probablyalltypesoftheshortstoryofhumorareincludedhere,atanyrate.NotonlycopyrightrestrictionsbutinameasuremyownopinionhavecombinedtoexcludeanythingbyJoelChandlerHarris—UncleRemus—fromthecollection.Harrisis
6、primarily—inhisbestwork—ahumorist,andonlysecondarilyashortstorywriter.Asahumoristheisofthefirstrank;asawriterofshortstorieshisplaceishardlysohigh.Hishumorisnotmerefunninessanddiversion;heisahumoristinthefundamentalandlargesense,asareCervantes,Rabelais,andMarkTwain.Nobookisdullerth
7、anabookofjokes,forwhatisrefreshinginsmalldosesbecomesnauseatingwhenperusedinlargeassignments.Humorinliteratureisatitsbestnotwhenservedmerelybyitselfbutwhenpresentedalongwithotheringredientsofliteraryforceinordertogiveawiderepresentationoflife.Therefore"professionalliteraryhumorist
8、s,"astheymaybecalled,havenotbeenm
