The Mirth of NationsChristie Davies Routledge, 28.07.2017 - 263 Seiten The Mirth of Nations is a social and historical study of jokes told in the principal English-speaking countries. It is based on use of archives and other primary sources, including old and rare joke books. Davies makes detailed comparisons between the humor of specific pairs of nations and ethnic and regional groups. In this way, he achieves an appreciation of the unique characteristics of the humor of each nation or group.A tightly argued book, The Mirth of Nations uses the comparative method to undermine existing theories of humor, which are rooted in notions of hostility, conflict, and superiority, and derive ultimately from Hobbes and Freud. Instead Davies argues that humor merely plays with aggression and with rule-breaking, and that the form this play takes is determined by social structures and intellectual traditions. It is not related to actual conflicts between groups. In particular, Davies convincingly argues that Jewish humor and jokes are neither uniquely nor overwhelmingly self-mocking as many writers since Freud have suggested. Rather Jewish jokes, like Scottish humor and jokes are the product of a strong cultural tradition of analytical thinking and intelligent self-awareness.The volume shows that the forty-year popularity of the Polish joke cycle in America was not a product of any special negative feeling towards Poles. Jokes are not serious and are not a form of determined aggression against others or against one's own group. The Mirth of Nations is readable as well as revisionist. It is written with great clarity and puts forward difficult and complex arguments without jargon in an accessible manner. Its rich use of examples of all kinds of humor entertains the reader, who will enjoy a great variety of jokes while being enlightened by the author's careful explanations of why particular sets of jokes exist and are immensely popular. The book will appeal to general readers as well as those in cultural stu |
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Seite 1894
... comic imitation of the joke tellers themselves. The butts of the jokes tend either to live in small communities or rural areas on the periphery of a nation or to be immigrants concentrated in blue- collar, hard-hatted occupations such ...
... comic imitation of the joke tellers themselves. The butts of the jokes tend either to live in small communities or rural areas on the periphery of a nation or to be immigrants concentrated in blue- collar, hard-hatted occupations such ...
Seite 1900
... comic disaster. Joke tellers are social not ideological creatures and laugh at groups whom they can portray as expressing an exaggerated version of their own failings rather that groups whom they regard as completely strange and alien ...
... comic disaster. Joke tellers are social not ideological creatures and laugh at groups whom they can portray as expressing an exaggerated version of their own failings rather that groups whom they regard as completely strange and alien ...
Seite 1901
... comic images are popular far beyond their group of origin because they again play with two extremes that everyone can understand, namely restraint and control versus rumbustious excess, the contrasting discontents of civilization and ...
... comic images are popular far beyond their group of origin because they again play with two extremes that everyone can understand, namely restraint and control versus rumbustious excess, the contrasting discontents of civilization and ...
Seite 1903
... The Scots and the Jews have indeed shown a remarkable zeal in creating and circulating comic tales about their own people, many of which seem to mock traits and characteristics such The Self-Mocking Scottish Sense of Humor.
... The Scots and the Jews have indeed shown a remarkable zeal in creating and circulating comic tales about their own people, many of which seem to mock traits and characteristics such The Self-Mocking Scottish Sense of Humor.
Seite 1905
... comic image of the canny Scotsman became increasingly popular in England at the point where the Scots, who had once been perceived as threatening and inferior, were coming to be seen as respected equals, though also as lacking in any ...
... comic image of the canny Scotsman became increasingly popular in England at the point where the Scots, who had once been perceived as threatening and inferior, were coming to be seen as respected equals, though also as lacking in any ...
Inhalt
1880 | |
1883 | |
1903 | |
The Balanced Jewish Sense of Humor | 1946 |
Jokes about Jewish Women and Australian | 1980 |
Neighborly Bilingual North American | |
Jokes about Newfies and Jokes Told by Newfoundlanders | |
American Jokes about Poles | |
Polish Jokes and Polish Conflicts | |
Conclusion | |
General Bibliography | |
Index | |
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African Americans American jokes anecdotes anti-Semitism asked Australian English Australian jokes Barry Humphries Barry McKenzie Blason Populaire British Canada Canadian Canadian jokes canny chundering Church Collected comic conflict contrast culture Davies distinctive drink English ethnic groups ethnic jokes ethnic stupidity jokes explain folklore Folklore Archive gentiles German hostility Humor Research Humphries identity individuals invented Irish Italians Japanese Jewish American Jewish humor Jewish jokes Jewish women Jews joke books joke cycle joke tellers jokes about dirty jokes about Jewish jokes about Poles jokes about stupidity jokes and humor jokes told Journal of Humor kind Kohen laugh London mock modern Newfie jokes Newfoundland particular patterns of jokes playing with aggression Polack Poland Polish Americans Polish jokes political popular Presbyterian rabbi Sabbatarian Sabbath says Scotland Scots Scottish jokes script self-mockery self-mocking sense serious sets of jokes social society story stupidity jokes tradition University Upper Island Cove York