Humorous stories rely on the talents of the storyteller to be funny; comic and witty stories rely on the quality of the content.
Explanation:
This is the sentence that best conveys the meaning of the original sentence. In the original sentence, the author states that humorous stories only have an effect (they are funny for the audience) when they are told in a certain "manner." Therefore, they rely on the talents of the storyteller. On the other hand, comic and witty stories rely on the "matter," which is another way of referring to the content.
