Dear Twainians,

I have received a query from a scholar who needs to know if Mark Twain
made the following assertion regarding satire. Of course, Spike Lee may
simply be participating in the long tradition of misattributing sayings
of this kind to Twain; and I don't recall anything like this, but do any
of you?

Many thanks,
Barbara Ladd


I am writing a book on comedy, and very interested in mark twain.
Somewhere he said that satire is required for us to live together in
peace (according to Spike Lee in his film Bamboozled.) Do you have any
idea where he might have said that? I imagine this might be impossible
to find, soplease don't worry if you can't immediately think of it. all
my best, Cindy