The Politics of Humour: Laughter, Inclusion and Exclusion in the Twentieth Century

The Politics of Humour: Laughter, Inclusion and Exclusion in the Twentieth Century
ISBN-10
1442695137
ISBN-13
9781442695139
Category
Literary Criticism
Pages
232
Language
English
Published
2012-01-30
Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Authors
Martina Kessel, Patrick Merziger

Description

The period between the First World War and the fall of the Berlin Wall is often characterized as the age of extremes—while this era witnessed unprecedented violence and loss of human life, it also saw a surge in humorous entertainment in both democratic and authoritarian societies. The Politics of Humour examines how works such as satirical magazines and comedy films were used both to reaffirm group identity and to exclude those who did not belong. The essays in this collection analyse the political and social context of comedy in Europe and the United States, exploring topics ranging from the shifting targets of ethnic jokes to the incorporation of humour into wartime broadcasting and the uses of satire as a means of resistance. Comedy continues to define the nature of group membership today, and The Politics of Humour offers an intriguing look at how entertainment helped everyday people make sense of the turmoil of the twentieth century.

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