Laughter

Notes on a Passion

Author  Anca Parvulescu
Laughter

Uncovering an archive of laughter, from the forbidden giggle to the explosive guffaw.

Most of our theories of laughter are not concerned with laughter. Rather, their focus is the laughable object, whether conceived of as the comic, the humorous, jokes, the grotesque, the ridiculous, or the ludicrous. In Laughter, Anca Parvulescu proposes a return to the materiality of the burst of laughter itself. She sets out to uncover an archive of laughter, inviting us to follow its rhythms and listen to its tones. Historically, laughter—especially the passionate burst of laughter—has often been a faux pas. Manuals for conduct, abetted by philosophical treatises and literary and visual texts, warned against it, offering special injunctions to ladies to avoid jollity that was too…

$33.95
August 27, 2010
Select a Retailer:
Cloud: Between Paris and Tehran How to Research Like a Dog The Emperor's New Nudity

The Emperor's New Nudity

Yuval Kremnitzer
What's That Smell?

What's That Smell?

Simon Hajdini
Subject Matter

Subject Matter

Aron Vinegar
Incontinence of the Void The Dash-The Other Side of Absolute Knowing Liquidation World

Liquidation World

Alexi Kukuljevic
What IS Sex?

What IS Sex?

Alenka Zupancic
The Not-Two

The Not-Two

Lorenzo Chiesa
The Trouble with Pleasure

The Trouble with Pleasure

Aaron Schuster
All for Nothing

All for Nothing

Andrew Cutrofello
Lacan at the Scene

Lacan at the Scene

Henry Bond
The Monstrosity of Christ

The Monstrosity of Christ

Slavoj Zizek, John Milbank
Laughter

Laughter

Anca Parvulescu