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
Ergebnisse 1-5 von 33
Seite 1891
... popularity of these jokes is illustrated in table 1.1 . It may be suggested that the dominance of these jokes in modern societies rather than jokes about other human qualities is related to the nature of modern societies with their ...
... popularity of these jokes is illustrated in table 1.1 . It may be suggested that the dominance of these jokes in modern societies rather than jokes about other human qualities is related to the nature of modern societies with their ...
Seite 1892
... popularity of these jokes, but the theory advanced here does not in any way depend on them; it merely says that opposed ... popular, though they need not always take an ethnic form as may be seen from the huge waves of jokes about stupid ...
... popularity of these jokes, but the theory advanced here does not in any way depend on them; it merely says that opposed ... popular, though they need not always take an ethnic form as may be seen from the huge waves of jokes about stupid ...
Seite 1901
... 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 anarchy ...
... 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 anarchy ...
Seite 1903
... popularity for the crafty, stingy, calculating canny Scotsman is the butt of jokes and humor not only in Scotland's neighbors England, Wales and Ireland or in countries like Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the United States where ...
... popularity for the crafty, stingy, calculating canny Scotsman is the butt of jokes and humor not only in Scotland's neighbors England, Wales and Ireland or in countries like Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the United States where ...
Seite 1905
... popular English sentimental myth. Thus the 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 ...
... popular English sentimental myth. Thus the 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 ...
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 | |
Andere Ausgaben - Alle anzeigen
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