Wit
Taken as a whole, wit is one of things the humankind always lived with, but it was only in the eighteenth century that prominent European scholars started to research the core of this notion revealing the facts that had been unknown up to that moment. To the best knowledge, wit has always been associated with positive emotions. However, starting with the 16th century AD (an epoch of great political and economic changes), it became obvious that wit could be easily transformed into "bitter" political satire by the outstanding cultural figures of the time.
Wit is defined by most of the world-known dictionaries as a form of intellectual humour mostly. There is a list of the most eminent global wit authors and wit expressions themselves. Still, this much-investigated concept remains to be one of the most ambiguous humour notions that has a great field for research.
Broadly speaking, wit is one of the most popular constituents of the humour, whereas the latter concept is usually defined in a not very illuminating way. According to Oxford English Dictionary, for instance, "humour" is referred to such conceptions as "amusement", "comicality", and "fun". However, this definition invites more questions than answers. The definitions associated in the above-mentioned example are too broad to be explained and understood through several phrases. The problem is much deeper, in fact. Evaluation of wit also comes to the "sense of humour" that most of people share. The problem is that my sense of humour may be not only different from your but also opposed to it. As a result, it is normal when different people view the same witticism or any other humorous expression that may be produced.
There are different forms of wit. Quip and repartee enjoy the widest popularity among them. A quip is a certain observation of rather sarcastic character. Repartee is the wit of the quick unconventional preposterous reaction to any situation or question. Both forms find themselves in the poetry in the way of metaphysical expressions. Shakespeare was the first who applied to the usage of witticisms in the European literature. We should recollect his famous phrase "Better a witty fool than a foolish wit". Since that time, witticisms have become one of the most effective instruments in the hands of real literary virtuosos. Wit is usually combined with conceptual thinking, a kind of verbal display that requires a lot of attention. One of the most famous historical wits is John Wilkes (the 18th century). They are also Mark Twain, Oscar Wilde, Dorothy Parker and Groucho Marx that made history as the most famous jokers. John Lennon of the Beatles was notorious for his cutting wits. Sometimes, he was called "the witty Beatle".