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 |
Im Buch
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Seite 1888
... kind it is necessary to obtain two quite separate kinds of data. First, it is necessary to assemble the texts of the jokes themselves, which in this study have been recorded directly by the author from those then in oral circulation ...
... kind it is necessary to obtain two quite separate kinds of data. First, it is necessary to assemble the texts of the jokes themselves, which in this study have been recorded directly by the author from those then in oral circulation ...
Seite 1889
... kind are inherently problematic.1 In the first place we can not infer any of these attributes from the text of a joke and often that text is all the information we have. Attitudes, motives, intentions and feelings will differ from one ...
... kind are inherently problematic.1 In the first place we can not infer any of these attributes from the text of a joke and often that text is all the information we have. Attitudes, motives, intentions and feelings will differ from one ...
Seite 1892
... kind will be popular, though they need not always take an ethnic form as may be seen from the huge waves of jokes about stupid blonde girls and canny lawyers. In the case of the ethnic jokes listed in table 1.1, a further question ...
... kind will be popular, though they need not always take an ethnic form as may be seen from the huge waves of jokes about stupid blonde girls and canny lawyers. In the case of the ethnic jokes listed in table 1.1, a further question ...
Seite 1896
... kind of power that is exercised that is crucial to an understanding of who becomes the butt of stupidity jokes, not the mere fact of who is relatively powerful and who is powerless by comparison. Indeed, the distinction between kinds of ...
... kind of power that is exercised that is crucial to an understanding of who becomes the butt of stupidity jokes, not the mere fact of who is relatively powerful and who is powerless by comparison. Indeed, the distinction between kinds of ...
Seite 1899
... kind of play) than to that of games; it involves the creation of illusion, a form of temporary deception by agreement that does not usually involve a seeking of advantage. Jokes play with deception. You can cheat at cards or at cricket ...
... kind of play) than to that of games; it involves the creation of illusion, a form of temporary deception by agreement that does not usually involve a seeking of advantage. Jokes play with deception. You can cheat at cards or at cricket ...
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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Häufige Begriffe und Wortgruppen
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