Sentence:  The horrifying humor , the specifically sexual embarrassment of the <WSD>joke</WSD> gone wrong , the monstrous image of the fat man dressed up as a whore dressing up as a baby ; the epiphany of that quivering flesh ; the bringing together around it of the secret liaison between indolent , mindless sensuality and sharp , shrewd talent , cleverness with an occasional touch of genius ( which , however , does not know `` how to attack the problem of suffering '' ) ; the miraculous way in which music , revelation and death are associated in a single instant - all this seems a triumph of art , a rather desperate art , in itself ; beyond itself , also , it evokes numerous and distant resonances from the entire body of Mann 's work . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter