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Full Description
Here is a witty and learned literary excursion into the world of humour and comic literature as revealed inter alia by the works of Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Oliver Goldsmith and Henry Fielding - leading in the second half to some glorious insights and observations provided by author's life experience in the world of diplomacy. It is a rich and fascinating mix of literary idiom, the theatre of the absurd and the comic element of the human condition.
Contents
Acknowledgements, Induction, Chapter 1: BEN JONSON AND HIS SOURCES, Classical literary sources (Decorum, the comedies of Plautus and Terence, the Ridiculous), Medieval Sources: the Morality Play and the Interludes, The Great Chain and Man as Microcosm, Ancient medical theory and Renaissance psychology, The character sketch, Early Humour plays (George Chapman, Henry Porter), Chapter 2: HUMOROUS CHARACTERIZATION IN THE COMEDIES OF BEN JONSON, In humour, Out of humour, Volpone, Epicoene, The Alchemist, Bartholomew Fair, Chapter 3: THE INFLUENCE OF JONSON ON SEVENTEENTH AND EIGHTEENTH CENTURY COMEDY (Richard Brome) (James Shirley) (Thomas Shadwell) (Colley Cibber), The Sons of Ben (Margareth Cavendish) (Aphra Behn) (James Miller) (Oliver Goldsmith) (Richard Brinsley Sheridan), Chapter 4: THE INTRUSION OF HUMOROUS CHARACTERIZATION INTO THE ENGLISH NOVEL (Henry Fielding) (Tobias Smollett), Chapter 5: THE MEANING OF THE COMIC, Chapter 6: NOMADIC HUMOURS, Where did the humours go, Berlin 1900, Fabulous, Hilarious, An ever-closer union, Identity mix-up, Chameleon, An exchange of notes, Visiting card, Holy See, Sisyphean diplomatic challenge, Laughter above, The laughing philosopher, Chapter 7: UNCONSCIOUS REVELATION, Postscript, Bibliography, Index.
