Comedy in Literature and Popular Culture by Morrison, James V.;

Short description:

Comedy in Literature and Popular Culture explores works of comedy from the past 2,500 years. This vibrant study offers a compelling analyses of comedy as a mode, form, and genre.  It is an engaging read for students and scholars of comparative literature, literary history, and media studies, and theatre and performance.

Long description:

Comedy in Literature and Popular Culture: From Aristophanes to Saturday Night Live explores works of comedy from the past 2,500 years.

James V. Morrison discusses works including those of Aristophanes and Plautus, Shakespeare and Moliere, and modern comic writers, performers, and cartoonists, such as Thomas Nast, P. G. Wodehouse, Charlie Chaplin, and Jerry Seinfeld, asking the following questions:

• Is comedy a mirror of our lives?  Is it “funny ’cuz it’s true?”  Or is it funny because it ignores reality? 


• Should we distinguish between the plot of a comic play and the jokes found in it?  Are the jokes just there to make us laugh or are the jokes as essential as the plot? 


• Do memories of satirical portrayals on the comic stage displace recollections of the historical person?

By juxtaposing works from different cultures and time periods, the book demonstrates a universal recourse to certain familiar techniques, situations, and characters.

This vibrant study offers a compelling analysis of comedy as a mode, form, and genre.  It is an engaging read for students and scholars of comparative literature, literary history, media studies, and theater and performance.

“The conversational tone, explanatory textboxes, and not infrequent mention of his students and their experiences make this book an ideal fit for the undergraduate classroom; as a teacher of comparative ancient and modern comedy, I would certainly make use of it. The book’s primary originality lies in the exceptionally chosen comparisons. Morrison’s vivid descriptions of comic sketches highlight the performative nature of comedy and that it must be analyzed and understood as such… Scholarship on ancient comedy can too often forget that comedy is supposed to be funny.  No such critique can be levelled at Morrison.” 

Amy S. Lewis--Howard University Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2025.10.45

Table of Contents:

Chapter One. The World of Comedy                                                                       

Chapter Two. Comic Heroes in Aristophanes and Heller’s Catch-22                     

Chapter Three. The Extreme Characters of Comedy                                               

Chapter Four. Socrates, Memory, and the Power of Comedy                                  

Chapter Five. Slaves, Masters, and Social Inversion                                                           

Chapter Six. Surrealism, Politeness Theory, and Comic Twins in Plautus and Shakespeare

Chapter Seven. Comedy in Tragedy: King Lear, The Bacchae, and Waiting for Godot

Chapter Eight. Modern Performance of Ancient Comedy: Aristophanes’ Frogs   

Bibliography

Index