What's so Funny? : The Comic Conception of Culture and Society

Rating:
Summary: Constitutes an ideal set of humor examples and analysis
Review: I was seeking a book that presented all the various types of humor, categorized nicely, with clear analysis of what made each category of humor work, that is, affect people. I needed to look no further than this book. It is a vast compendium of different types of humor --jokes--and an integrated analysis of what in the human psyche and social situation makes them all work. I used this framework to see humor, its punchline effect, as a non-linear systems dynamic avalanche event, an explosive re-interpretation as contexts clash and are switched among. This book has become a text for me in seminars to managers teaching them how to use humor as a tool to defuse bad situations, exert power without offending self efficacy and images of other people and the like. There is no comparable book in scope, trueness to the data, sensitivity of analysis, and as a basis for serious understanding, research, or training.