An Anatomy of HumorHumor permeates every aspect of society and has done so for thousands of years. People experience it daily through television, newspapers, literature, and contact with others. Rarely do social researchers analyze humor or try to determine what makes it such a dominating force in our lives. The types of jokes a person enjoys contribute significantly to the definition of that person as well as to the character of a given society. Arthur Asa Berger explores these and other related topics in An Anatomy of Humor. He shows how humor can range from the simple pun to complex plots in Elizabethan plays.Berger examines a number of topics ethnicity, race, gender, politics each with its own comic dimension. Laughter is beneficial to both our physical and mental health, according to Berger. He discerns a multiplicity of ironies that are intrinsic to the analysis of humor. He discovers as much complexity and ambiguity in a cartoon, such as Mickey Mouse, as he finds in an important piece of literature, such as Huckleberry Finn. An Anatomy of Humor is an intriguing and enjoyable read for people interested in humor and the impact of popular and mass culture on society. It will also be of interest to professionals in communication and psychologists concerned with the creative process. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 28
Page ix
... understand it as intended to be a literal statement of fact . However , even though on the bizarre side , it might be considered plausible , when academia is inspected from a historical perspective and specific cases are counted ...
... understand it as intended to be a literal statement of fact . However , even though on the bizarre side , it might be considered plausible , when academia is inspected from a historical perspective and specific cases are counted ...
Page xviii
... understanding of what makes people laugh and can be used not only to analyze humor but also to create it . I've always felt that creativity and analysis are linked together , and I deal with that subject in an essay in this book . I ...
... understanding of what makes people laugh and can be used not only to analyze humor but also to create it . I've always felt that creativity and analysis are linked together , and I deal with that subject in an essay in this book . I ...
Page 2
... understand humor , there is still a great deal of controversy about what humor is or why something is funny . There are , however , some important theories on this matter which I would like to discuss here . I will start with ...
... understand humor , there is still a great deal of controversy about what humor is or why something is funny . There are , however , some important theories on this matter which I would like to discuss here . I will start with ...
Page 3
... understand what it is that jokes achieve in the service of their purpose . They make possible the satisfaction of an instinct ( whether lustful or hostile ) in the face of an obstacle that stands in its way ” ( 1963 , 101 ) . In the ...
... understand what it is that jokes achieve in the service of their purpose . They make possible the satisfaction of an instinct ( whether lustful or hostile ) in the face of an obstacle that stands in its way ” ( 1963 , 101 ) . In the ...
Page 5
... understand the way the narrative functions ( when there is one ) . These two operations involve investigating the paradigmatic ( or oppositional ) and the syntagmatic ( or linear , narrative ) aspects of the text . According to the ...
... understand the way the narrative functions ( when there is one ) . These two operations involve investigating the paradigmatic ( or oppositional ) and the syntagmatic ( or linear , narrative ) aspects of the text . According to the ...
Contents
APPLICATIONS | 63 |
Bibliography | 175 |
Names Index | 181 |
Subject Index | 185 |
Jokes and Humorous Texts Index | 191 |
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Common terms and phrases
absurd aggression American amusing appeared argue artists asked aspect attacks become behavior believe Berger called characters comedians comedy comes comic comic strip course created creative culture deal described developed direct discussion element ethnic example explains feel figure follows fools functions funny give glossary groups hand helps heroes hostile Huck human humor humorists identity imitation important insult interesting involves Jewish Jews joke kind language laugh laughter leads lives logic look matter means mistake Mouse nature Night opposite perhaps person play pleasure political popular possible problems question reason reflected relationships reveals ridicule role satire says scene Secret Agent seems seen sense sexual situation social society speak stereotypes story suggests taken techniques tell term things thought turned types understand values various wife writes young