Humorous literature exists to entertain and music. Edward Lear's A Book of Nonsense, George and Weedon Grossmith's The Diary of Nobody and The Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse are considered among the genre's classics.

Satires by the author Juvenal of the Roman Empire is the world's first example of satire, which extends upon humorous writing but also ridicules. Candide by Voltaire and Gulliver's Travels by Jonathon Swift are other notable examples.