American Humor

American Humor

Author: Constance Rourke

Publisher: New York Review of Books

Published: 2004-02-29

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 9781590170793

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Stepping out of the darkness, the American emerges upon the stage of history as a new character, as puzzling to himself as to others. American Humor, Constance Rourke's pioneering "study of the national character," singles out the archetypal figures of the Yankee peddler, the backwoodsman, and the blackface minstrel to illuminate the fundamental role of popular culture in fashioning a distinctive American sensibility. A memorable performance in its own right, American Humor crackles with the jibes and jokes of generations while presenting a striking picture of a vagabond nation in perpetual self-pursuit. Davy Crockett and Henry James, Jim Crow and Emily Dickinson rub shoulders in a work that inspired such later critics as Pauline Kael and Lester Bangs and which still has much to say about the America of Bob Dylan and Thomas Pynchon, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.


Book Synopsis American Humor by : Constance Rourke

Download or read book American Humor written by Constance Rourke and published by New York Review of Books. This book was released on 2004-02-29 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Stepping out of the darkness, the American emerges upon the stage of history as a new character, as puzzling to himself as to others. American Humor, Constance Rourke's pioneering "study of the national character," singles out the archetypal figures of the Yankee peddler, the backwoodsman, and the blackface minstrel to illuminate the fundamental role of popular culture in fashioning a distinctive American sensibility. A memorable performance in its own right, American Humor crackles with the jibes and jokes of generations while presenting a striking picture of a vagabond nation in perpetual self-pursuit. Davy Crockett and Henry James, Jim Crow and Emily Dickinson rub shoulders in a work that inspired such later critics as Pauline Kael and Lester Bangs and which still has much to say about the America of Bob Dylan and Thomas Pynchon, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.


An Encyclopedia of Modern American Humor

An Encyclopedia of Modern American Humor

Author: Bennett Cerf

Publisher:

Published: 2003

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK


Book Synopsis An Encyclopedia of Modern American Humor by : Bennett Cerf

Download or read book An Encyclopedia of Modern American Humor written by Bennett Cerf and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


American Wit and Humor

American Wit and Humor

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 1907

Total Pages: 374

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK


Book Synopsis American Wit and Humor by :

Download or read book American Wit and Humor written by and published by . This book was released on 1907 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


Encyclopedia of 20th-Century American Humor

Encyclopedia of 20th-Century American Humor

Author: Alleen Pace Nilsen

Publisher: Greenwood

Published: 2000-01-20

Total Pages: 386

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Review: "This unique encyclopedia treats the concepts, persons, themes, and media of 20th-century American humor and humor studies. More than 100 alphabetically arranged entries highlight a broad range of humor-related topics from wit, understatement, and ambiguity to late-night talk shows and the Internet."--"Outstanding Reference Sources," American Libraries, May 2001


Book Synopsis Encyclopedia of 20th-Century American Humor by : Alleen Pace Nilsen

Download or read book Encyclopedia of 20th-Century American Humor written by Alleen Pace Nilsen and published by Greenwood. This book was released on 2000-01-20 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Review: "This unique encyclopedia treats the concepts, persons, themes, and media of 20th-century American humor and humor studies. More than 100 alphabetically arranged entries highlight a broad range of humor-related topics from wit, understatement, and ambiguity to late-night talk shows and the Internet."--"Outstanding Reference Sources," American Libraries, May 2001


All Joking Aside

All Joking Aside

Author: Rebecca Krefting

Publisher: JHU Press

Published: 2014-09

Total Pages: 360

ISBN-13: 1421414295

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A professor of American Studies—and stand-up comic—examines sharply focused comedy and its cultural utility in contemporary society. Outstanding Academic Title, Choice In this examination of stand-up comedy, Rebecca Krefting establishes a new genre of comedic production, “charged humor,” and charts its pathways from production to consumption. Some jokes are tears in the fabric of our beliefs—they challenge myths about how fair and democratic our society is and the behaviors and practices we enact to maintain those fictions. Jokes loaded with vitriol and delivered with verve, charged humor compels audiences to action, artfully summoning political critique. Since the institutionalization of stand-up comedy as a distinct cultural form, stand-up comics have leveraged charged humor to reveal social, political, and economic stratifications. All Joking Aside offers a history of charged comedy from the mid-twentieth century to the early aughts, highlighting dozens of talented comics from Dick Gregory and Robin Tyler to Micia Mosely and Hari Kondabolu. The popularity of charged humor has waxed and waned over the past sixty years. Indeed, the history of charged humor is a tale of intrigue and subversion featuring dive bars, public remonstrations, fickle audiences, movie stars turned politicians, commercial airlines, emergent technologies, neoliberal mind-sets, and a cavalcade of comic misfits with an ax to grind. Along the way, Krefting explores the fault lines in the modern economy of humor, why men are perceived to be funnier than women, the perplexing popularity of modern-day minstrelsy, and the way identities are packaged and sold in the marketplace. Appealing to anyone interested in the politics of humor and generating implications for the study of any form of popular entertainment, this history reflects on why we make the choices we do and the collective power of our consumptive practices. Readers will be delighted by the broad array of comic talent spotlighted in this book, and for those interested in comedy with substance, it will offer an alternative punchline.


Book Synopsis All Joking Aside by : Rebecca Krefting

Download or read book All Joking Aside written by Rebecca Krefting and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2014-09 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A professor of American Studies—and stand-up comic—examines sharply focused comedy and its cultural utility in contemporary society. Outstanding Academic Title, Choice In this examination of stand-up comedy, Rebecca Krefting establishes a new genre of comedic production, “charged humor,” and charts its pathways from production to consumption. Some jokes are tears in the fabric of our beliefs—they challenge myths about how fair and democratic our society is and the behaviors and practices we enact to maintain those fictions. Jokes loaded with vitriol and delivered with verve, charged humor compels audiences to action, artfully summoning political critique. Since the institutionalization of stand-up comedy as a distinct cultural form, stand-up comics have leveraged charged humor to reveal social, political, and economic stratifications. All Joking Aside offers a history of charged comedy from the mid-twentieth century to the early aughts, highlighting dozens of talented comics from Dick Gregory and Robin Tyler to Micia Mosely and Hari Kondabolu. The popularity of charged humor has waxed and waned over the past sixty years. Indeed, the history of charged humor is a tale of intrigue and subversion featuring dive bars, public remonstrations, fickle audiences, movie stars turned politicians, commercial airlines, emergent technologies, neoliberal mind-sets, and a cavalcade of comic misfits with an ax to grind. Along the way, Krefting explores the fault lines in the modern economy of humor, why men are perceived to be funnier than women, the perplexing popularity of modern-day minstrelsy, and the way identities are packaged and sold in the marketplace. Appealing to anyone interested in the politics of humor and generating implications for the study of any form of popular entertainment, this history reflects on why we make the choices we do and the collective power of our consumptive practices. Readers will be delighted by the broad array of comic talent spotlighted in this book, and for those interested in comedy with substance, it will offer an alternative punchline.


A Subtreasury of American Humor

A Subtreasury of American Humor

Author: E.B... White

Publisher:

Published: 1955

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK


Book Synopsis A Subtreasury of American Humor by : E.B... White

Download or read book A Subtreasury of American Humor written by E.B... White and published by . This book was released on 1955 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:


American Humor

American Humor

Author: Arthur Power Dudden

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 1987-04-30

Total Pages: 180

ISBN-13: 0195364678

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The paramount question answered in this absorbing collection of essays is: What's so funny about American humor, and why? What are American humor's characteristics? How have they evolved and displayed themselves? Which characteristics are distinctively, or even uniquely, American? Originally appearing as an issue of the American Quarterly, these essays take a close look at American humor from revolutionary times to the present day, and particularly focus on the neglected trends of the past fifty years. Looking at American comic figures as diverse--and even surprising--as Mark Twain and Richard Nixon, at various vehicles for American humor such as comic strips, radio and television, movies, and standup comedians, and at different genres of humor including political, ethnic, and feminist humor, this book brings a lively new perspective to the study of American culture.


Book Synopsis American Humor by : Arthur Power Dudden

Download or read book American Humor written by Arthur Power Dudden and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1987-04-30 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The paramount question answered in this absorbing collection of essays is: What's so funny about American humor, and why? What are American humor's characteristics? How have they evolved and displayed themselves? Which characteristics are distinctively, or even uniquely, American? Originally appearing as an issue of the American Quarterly, these essays take a close look at American humor from revolutionary times to the present day, and particularly focus on the neglected trends of the past fifty years. Looking at American comic figures as diverse--and even surprising--as Mark Twain and Richard Nixon, at various vehicles for American humor such as comic strips, radio and television, movies, and standup comedians, and at different genres of humor including political, ethnic, and feminist humor, this book brings a lively new perspective to the study of American culture.


We Killed

We Killed

Author: Yael Kohen

Publisher: Macmillan

Published: 2012-10-16

Total Pages: 338

ISBN-13: 0374287236

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Kohen assembles America's most prominent comediennes to piece together an oral history about the revolution that happened to (and by) women in American comedy.


Book Synopsis We Killed by : Yael Kohen

Download or read book We Killed written by Yael Kohen and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2012-10-16 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Kohen assembles America's most prominent comediennes to piece together an oral history about the revolution that happened to (and by) women in American comedy.


On the Real Side

On the Real Side

Author: Mel Watkins

Publisher: Chicago Review Press

Published: 1999-05-01

Total Pages: 638

ISBN-13: 1569767602

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This comprehensive history of black humor sets it in the context of American popular culture. Blackface minstrelsy, Stepin Fetchit, and the Amos 'n' Andy show presented a distorted picture of African Americans; this book contrasts this image with the authentic underground humor of African Americans found in folktales, race records, and all-black shows and films. After generations of stereotypes, the underground humor finally emerged before the American public with Richard Pryor in the 1970s. But Pryor was not the first popular comic to present authentically black humor. Watkins offers surprising reassessments of such seminal figures as Fetchit, Bert Williams, Moms Mabley, and Redd Foxx, looking at how they paved the way for contemporary comics such as Whoopi Goldberg, Eddie Murphy, and Bill Cosby.


Book Synopsis On the Real Side by : Mel Watkins

Download or read book On the Real Side written by Mel Watkins and published by Chicago Review Press. This book was released on 1999-05-01 with total page 638 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This comprehensive history of black humor sets it in the context of American popular culture. Blackface minstrelsy, Stepin Fetchit, and the Amos 'n' Andy show presented a distorted picture of African Americans; this book contrasts this image with the authentic underground humor of African Americans found in folktales, race records, and all-black shows and films. After generations of stereotypes, the underground humor finally emerged before the American public with Richard Pryor in the 1970s. But Pryor was not the first popular comic to present authentically black humor. Watkins offers surprising reassessments of such seminal figures as Fetchit, Bert Williams, Moms Mabley, and Redd Foxx, looking at how they paved the way for contemporary comics such as Whoopi Goldberg, Eddie Murphy, and Bill Cosby.


Rebellious Laughter

Rebellious Laughter

Author: Joseph Boskin

Publisher: Syracuse University Press

Published: 1997-11-01

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 9780815627470

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Rebellious Laughter changes the way we think about the ordinary joke. Claiming that humor in America is a primary cultural weapon, Boskin surveys the multitude of joke cycles that have swept the country during the last fifty years. Dumb Blonde jokes. Elephant jokes. Jewish-American Princess jokes. Lightbulb jokes. Readers will enjoy humor from many diverse sources: whites, blacks, women, and Hispanics; conservatives and liberals; public workers and university students; the powerless and power brokers. Boskin argues that jokes provide a cultural barometer of concerns and anxieties, frequently appearing in our day-to-day language long before these issues become grist for stand-up comics.


Book Synopsis Rebellious Laughter by : Joseph Boskin

Download or read book Rebellious Laughter written by Joseph Boskin and published by Syracuse University Press. This book was released on 1997-11-01 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rebellious Laughter changes the way we think about the ordinary joke. Claiming that humor in America is a primary cultural weapon, Boskin surveys the multitude of joke cycles that have swept the country during the last fifty years. Dumb Blonde jokes. Elephant jokes. Jewish-American Princess jokes. Lightbulb jokes. Readers will enjoy humor from many diverse sources: whites, blacks, women, and Hispanics; conservatives and liberals; public workers and university students; the powerless and power brokers. Boskin argues that jokes provide a cultural barometer of concerns and anxieties, frequently appearing in our day-to-day language long before these issues become grist for stand-up comics.