ABSTRACT
The social ethics expressed through the mode of literary comedy are often overlooked. The concept of social ethics is a relatively recent invention, although social Darwinists certainly recognized that their economic doctrines must have social consequences. The egalitarian viewpoint, however, is opposite to that of the Darwinists. A figure like Jim Griggins as a low thief outside the protection of larger corporate thievery is a significant statement of the concerns of the egalitarians, and as the egalitarian comic statement, its burlesque format cannot be said to detract from its point. Both England and America seem to provide a corporate social aspect that leaves the detached outsider in a skeptical or overtly antagonistic position. Artemus Ward expresses through his humor a complex democratic ethic which is consistent with the origins of literary comedy. Ward's humor develops a specific viewpoint toward politics that might be most simply characterized as distrustful.
