A compelling guide to the fundamental place of humour and comedy within
Western culture --by one of its greatest exponents
Written by an acknowledged master of comedy, this study reflects on the nature
of humour and the functions it serves. Why do we laugh? What are we to make of
the sheer variety of laughter, from braying and cackling to sniggering and
chortling? Is humour subversive, or can it defuse dissent? Can we define wit?
Packed with illuminating ideas and a good many excellent jokes, the book
critically examines various well-known theories of humour, including the idea
that it springs from incongruity and the view that it reflects a mildly
sadistic form of superiority to others. Drawing on a wide range of literary
and philosophical sources, Terry Eagleton moves from Aristotle and Aquinas to
Hobbes, Freud, and Bakhtin, looking in particular at the psychoanalytical
mechanisms underlying humour and its social and political evolution over the
centuries.
Book Description Why do we laugh? Written by an acknowledged master of comedy, this study
reflects on the nature of humour and the functions it serves. Packed with
illuminating ideas and a good many excellent jokes, Terry Eagleton critically
examines various well-known theories of humour and its social and political
evolution over the centuries.
About the Author
Terry Eagleton is distinguished visiting professor of English literature,
University of Lancaster, and the author of more than fifty books in the fields
of literary theory, postmodernism, politics, ideology, and religion. Recent
publications include Why Marx Was Right and Culture. He lives in Northern
Ireland.

motw/Humour - Terry Eagleton.pdf

Memory of the World Librarian: outernationale

2025-02-18