Obviously, Ellen is a different kind of comedian than Twain was ("comedian" is hardly the right term for him, anyway).  But the fact of the matter is, her style of humor resonates with a huge audience, and she has participated--for many years--in the development of American humor.  Ellen genuinely offers insight (sometimes biting insight, sometimes more subtle critiques) into our culture and its many quirks.  Ellen's comedy talk show consistently wins awards (and every clip I've ever seen has made me laugh).  And it almost goes without saying (except that I feel the need to say it) that Ellen's openness about her sexuality has been incredibly important, both in the humor sphere and in the broader culture.  Coming out on her sitcom simultaneously introduced a gay TV character and a gay comedienne, both of whom continued to be beloved and funny after the revelation.  It is hard to exaggerate how important that move was for television and comedy culture.

The question of whether Ellen "deserves" this award in the face of all the other living and dead comedians or humorists whom we may or may not find to be better nominees is a bit absurd.  The annual award only began in the late 1990's.  How many funny people have there been in the course of American history that "deserve" this award?  They are countless.  If we were trying to be comprehensive, we would hardly get through the pop icons of 1970s--let alone the little-known contributors--by the time most of us in this conversation were ourselves in the grave.  Of course there are others that also deserve to be honored for their humor, but the nature of awards is such that only one person in a field of worthy contenders receives the prize.  The award does not negate the worthiness of everyone else who might have won.  Let's not be like Kanye West, pulling the mic away from the award recipient to champion our particular favorite.  Whether Kanye was "right" or not, it was awfully demeaning to the actual award winner to belittle her in that way.  Awards are given on a subjective basis.  Popularity is, for better or for worse, part of what makes a comedienne/comedian successful.  Twain knew that, and he pursued his own popularity actively, choosing to work within the formats, styles, and platforms popular in his day.  

Is it worth asking how recipients of the Mark Twain award are chosen?  Yes, of course.  It has the potential to be a very interesting exploration of what American humor really is, at its core . . . and at its periphery.  So, let's dignify the question with serious inquiry.  Before we erupt in incredulous guffaws that Ellen has been honored with this particular prize, however, we have a responsibility to honestly examine the contributions she brings to contemporary American humor.  And they are many.  Twain's legacy is not defined by us alone.  Let us be gracious as we continue to discover how American humor changes and grows.  

Sincerly, 
Christine

M. Christine Benner Dixon
[log in to unmask]

On Oct 31, 2012, at 10:40 PM, JULES AUSTIN HOJNOWSKI wrote:

> I totally agree, there were far better people for this award than Ellen.
> Jules
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark Twain Forum [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Harold Bush
> Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2012 8:13 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: The 15th Annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor is . . . . .
> 
> Ellen DeGeneres.  really? ? ? ?
> 
> Wow.  All due respect, but I'm wondering what some older folks like Carol B=
> urnett must be feeling right about now.  Surprising choice, given folks lik=
> e Letterman and Leno, or even Jon Stewart, have not gotten it yet....
> 
> Political correctness aside, I'm a bit confused about all this....  who, if=
> anyone in the "Twain scholarly community," are they consulting??  I DVR-ed=
> the event, and it is funny; but Wow!
> 
> I recognize they are going for the ratings.  But I thought -- originally, =
> with the awarding of the likes of Jonathan Winters and Carl Reiner, Bob New=
> hart and Lily Tomlin --  that it was meant to be some sort of lifetime achi=
> evement award.  And the picture of the white-suit Twain on the website seem=
> s to confirm this, along with the description of the award.
> 
> But I feel bad for the likes of Carol Burnett, or even David Letterman, who=
> reinvented the talk-show format.
> 
> Every year we hash this out a bit -- and maybe I'll get slammed for this je=
> remiad -- but I just thought I would bring it up again and see if others ha=
> d any response.
> 
> -hb
> 
> --
> Harold K. Bush, Ph.D
> Professor of English
> Saint Louis University
> St. Louis, MO  63108
> 314-977-3616 (w); 314-771-6795 (h)
> <www.slu.edu/x23809.xml>