Book

Laughter in ancient Rome : on joking, tickling, and cracking up

Beard, Mary, 1955-

Overview

\"What made the Romans laugh? Was ancient Rome a carnival, filled with practical jokes and hearty chuckles? Or was it a carefully regulated culture in which the uncontrollable excess of laughter was a force to fear- a world of wit, irony, and knowing smiles? How did Romans make sense of laughter? What role did it play in the world of the law courts, the imperial palace, or the spectacles of the arena? Laughter in Ancient Rome explores one of the most intriguing, but also trickiest, of historical subjects. Drawing on a wide range of Roman writing- from essays on rhetoric to a surviving Roman joke book- Mary Beard tracks down the giggles, smirks, and guffaws of the ancient Romans themselves. From ancient 'monkey business' to the role of a chuckle in a culture of tyranny, she explores Roman humor from the hilarious, to the momentous, to the surprising. But she also reflects on even bigger historical questions. What kind of history of laughter can we possibly tell? Can we ever really 'get' the Romans' jokes?\"-- Provided by publisher.

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Subject: Laughter Rome History To 1500. / Latin wit and humor History and criticism. / HISTORY / Ancient / General. / LITERARY CRITICISM / Ancient & Classical. / POLITICAL SCIENCE / History & Theory. / Rome Social life and customs.
• ISBN: 9780520277168, 0520277163

Item info:

1 item available

1 item total in all locations

Holdings :

Call Number	Copies	Material	Location
BF575.L3 B38 2014	1	BOOK	AUTOSTORE