Cultural History of Humour - by Jan Bremmer & Herman Roodenburg (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Humour is without doubt a vital element of the human condition but it has rarely been the subject of serious historical research. Yet a closer look at jokes and other comic phenomena shows us that the nature of humour changes from one period to another, and that these changes can provide us with important insights into the social and cultural developments of the past.


This important and highly original book sets out to explore the terra incognita of humour through the ages - from jokes and stage humour in Greece and Rome to the jestbooks of early modern Europe, from practical jokes in Renaissance Italy to comic painting during the Dutch Golden Age, from Bakhtin's conception of laughter to the joking relationships of anthropologists.


These innovative accounts move humour into the centre of social and cultural history and throw an unexpected light on life and manners through the ages.

From the Back Cover

Humour is without doubt a vital element of the human condition but it has rarely been the subject of serious historical research. Yet a closer look at jokes and other comic phenomena shows us that the nature of humour changes from one period to another, and that these changes can provide us with important insights into the social and cultural developments of the past.

This important and highly original book sets out to explore the terra incognita of humour through the ages - from jokes and stage humour in Greece and Rome to the jestbooks of early modern Europe, from practical jokes in Renaissance Italy to comic painting during the Dutch Golden Age, from Bakhtin's conception of laughter to the joking relationships of anthropologists.

These innovative accounts move humour into the centre of social and cultural history and throw an unexpected light on life and manners through the ages.

Review Quotes

"[There are] plenty of fascinating nuggets in this book." The Sunday Telegraph

"This is an unusual and stimulating book, packed with valuable information on a subject too often considered trivial and nonscholarly." Sixteenth Century Journal

"Temptingly interesting ... worth indulging in." The Times Higher Education Supplement

"Bremmer and Roodenburg have created a valuable work in the comparative sociology of humour ... excellent research bibliography ... interesting and scholarly work of value to the sociologists." British Journal of Sociology

"Opens up a fascinating subject." Journal of Social History

About the Author

Jan Mremmer, University of Groningen

Herman Roodenburg, P.J. Meertens-Institute Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam