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A Philosophy of Comedy on Stage and Screen: You Have to Be There

May, Shaun (2015) A Philosophy of Comedy on Stage and Screen: You Have to Be There. Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, London, 224 pp. ISBN 978-1-4725-8043-6. E-ISBN 978-1-4725-8046-7. (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:53838)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
http://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/a-philosophy-of-comed...

Abstract

As far as we know, only human beings have a sense of humour – although chimps might laugh when tickled, and dogs respond similarly in play, Seth McFarlane's fan-base is comprised exclusively of humans. Whilst animals and robots might feature as prominent characters in our favourite comic movies, shows and stand-up routines, we have no reason to suspect that their real-life brethren get the joke.

Drawing on the philosophy of Martin Heidegger, Shaun May attempts to address this issue – suggesting that there is something distinctive about human beings which grounds our ability to make and comprehend jokes. Guiding the reader through a range of examples, including the films of Charlie Chaplin, the stand-up of Francesca Martinez, the TV show Family Guy and Samuel Beckett's Endgame, he demonstrates that in order to get the joke you have to 'be there'.

Item Type: Book
Uncontrolled keywords: Philosophy, comedy, humour, Heidegger, stage, screen, theatre, film, Drama and Theatre
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General)
H Social Sciences > HE Transportation and Communications > HE8689 Broadcasting. Radio and Television.
P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1600 Drama
P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1969.C65 Comedy acts. Stand-up comedy
P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1993 Motion Pictures
P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN2000 Dramatic representation. The theatre
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > School of Arts
Depositing User: Shaun May
Date Deposited: 24 Jan 2016 11:25 UTC
Last Modified: 17 Aug 2022 11:00 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/53838 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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