A Walk in the Woods

I don’t consume a lot of long form comedy. The books I read are funny sometimes, but the main point isn’t to amuse or make a social commentary through satire or irony. One book that stands out to me though is “A Walk in The Woods” by Bill Bryson. While it is nonfiction, the humorous commentary provided by Bryson puts the book under the label of comedy.

The whole work centered around using irony and satire to examine both backpacker culture, as well as society’s perception of wilderness and exploration. “A Walk in the Woods” does a lovely job of pointing out the irony in society’s treatment of nature, and enhances our understanding of the world in a meaningful way. It felt like Bryson was just as bemused by humanity’s behavior as he was by his own. His writing came from a desire to examine, not to mock.

“A Walk in the Woods” is an outlier though. At least to me, pieces of satire often feel shallow and petty. The work is meant to ridicule and belittle, without a suggested solution or any personal involvement of the author. Bryson mocks himself more than he mocks the system, whereas other comedic works such as Family Guy or the Onion prefer to eagerly point out flaws without any personal stake. I feel as though a lot of comedies seem to come from a place of anger and mockery, making them shallow and less effective.

A truly funny comedy can enhance our understanding of the world, as long as it is motivated by interest rather than cruelty.