Talk:Rule of three (writing)

The part on music is quite ridiculous, it has nothing to do with writing, this is the rule of three (writing) page! I removed it. 201.17.81.190 21:10, 4 December 2007 (UTC)

"In comedy, it is suggested that maximum humor can be attained by creating a structure in which a joke is set up, the setup is reinforced, and the punchline breaks the pattern."

Isn't this nothing more than simply saying a joke has a beginning, middle and end? Citizen Premier 23:54, 30 April 2006 (UTC)

No, it is quite different. To say a joke has a beginning, a middle and an end tells the reader nothing about the function of the different parts, whereas qualitatively describing the roles of these parts elucidates the concept for the reader. Genedecanter 01:40, 2 May 2007 (UTC)

Is this a stub?

It seems woefully incomplete. Is this perhaps just some idea someone had or is this an established theory and practice. It needs filled out, and is fairly worthless in its present form.

Useful for classes

As a professor, I can say it was helpful to have a printed source to show my classes. It's a basic principle of humor. Please leave it in.

But I sympathize with the comment above. The problem is, "the rule of three"-- which Steve Martin just invoked on Saturday Night Live a month ago, as his justification for slapping a fellow actor three times, though the script apparently only said to hit her twice-- is oral tradition, like much of comedy theory. There's a lot of comedy theory, but it isn't written down, and has a hard time getting into Wikipedia. (Anybody who watched Crimes and Misdemeanors remembers Allan Alda's character's repeated "If it bends, it's funny. If it BREAKS, it ain't funny." ) Profhum (talk) 18:47, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

It's not only a principle of comedy and religious symbolism and argument, but a principle of exposition as well, especially in the movies. Any important expository information is usually covered three times to ensure that the audience grasps it. Watch for this in movies and you'll see it time and again. Kristin Thompson discusses it in her book Storytelling in the New Hollywood as does her husband, David Bordwell, in several of his books, including Poetics of Cinema. The rule of three is a real concept not to be dismissed.99.17.217.255 (talk) 01:11, 9 May 2011 (UTC)

 An analogy may be juggling, where any attraction as an entertainment starts with three objectsor more. Also, to drop them tends to spoil the attraction.
With The Three Stooges, Nyuk-nyuk-nyuk! is not funny of itself, but it's placement and

triple form make it work. SignedJohnsonL623 (talk) 06:19, 23 April 2011 (UTC)

I removed the myth about Japanese culture

See Japanese_etiquette#Gifts_and_gift-giving for an explanation of why I did it. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Carlj7 (talk • contribs) 10:30, 24 April 2007 (UTC).

Magi

"Three Magi visit the infant Jesus in Bethlehem." The Christian Bible mentions three gifts, but gives no account of the number of "wise men" that went to Bethlehem. However, it might be useful to note how this presumption came to be. o0drogue0o 07:41, 27 February 2011 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by O0drogue0o (talk • contribs)

Road Safety Example

Before crossing the road, 1. Look to the right 2. Look to the left 3. Look to the right again. And, variations on this. SignedJohnsonL623 (talk) 06:40, 23 April 2011 (UTC)

As a tool for inculcation/indoctrination or liberation of thought patterns

As a means to provide emphasis?? An example is the tagline for the movie, Almost Famous. It says- "Experience it, Enjoy it, Just don't fall for it." ,so instead of ending with something like "Embrace it" or such, they've emphasised the downside of fame and the whole celebrity worship thing. SignedJohnsonL623 (talk) 11:31, 30 April 2011 (UTC)

     The three R's- Respect, Responsibilities, Rights. And,in that order! SignedJohnsonL623 (talk) 11:36, 30 April 2011 (UTC)

Why just "(writing)"?

As the article itself makes clear, Rule of Three isn't just used in writing, it's used in other media as well like TV, movies, etc. Should this article be renamed "Rule of three (communication)"? SnappingTurtle (talk) 17:10, 31 January 2012 (UTC)

Location, location, location

Re: The answer "location, location, location" is not to this question "What is the best climate for success of a business?". It is an answer to this question "What are the 3 most important things about a piece of real estate?". — Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.33.202.114 (talk) 20:44, 9 June 2012 (UTC)

I have added a new section

I have added a new section on the Rule of three techniques within copywriting, marketing and advertising, including references, internal links and external links.