The Artistic Features of Mark Twain
There is irony in humor. In his autobiography, he summed up his experience in writing humorous stories, and said, "Humor for humor's sake cannot last. Humor is just a smell and tidbits. I always admonish others, which is why I can persist for 30 years. " "Thirty years" refers to the time from when he started writing to when he wrote his autobiography. His so-called "admonishing others" means that his novels contain serious creative goals of restraining evil and promoting good.