| Description |
1 online resource (xi, 321 pages, 24 pages of plates) : illustrations (some color) |
| Physical Medium |
polychrome |
| Description |
text file |
| Note |
"Ahmanson Murphy fine arts imprint." |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 279-297) and index. |
| Contents |
pt. 1. Visual humor. Words or images? Degrees of visuality in Roman humor ; Funny faces -onstage and off ; Double takes ; Apotropaic laughter -- pt. 2. Social humor. Power over the other -- or the other's power? Laughing at the Pygmy and the Aethiops ; Who's laughing? Modern scholars and ancient viewers in class conflict ; Parody in elite visual culture at Pompeii: heroes, gods, and foundation myths -- pt. 3. Sexual humor. Sexual humor and the gods ; Laughing at human sexual folly. |
| Summary |
In this fresh, accessible, and beautifully illustrated book, his third to examine an aspect of Roman visual culture, John R. Clarke explores the question, "What made Romans laugh?" Looking at Laughter examines a heterogeneous corpus of visual material, from the crudely obscene to the exquisitely sophisticated and from the playful to the deadly serious--everything from street theater to erudite paintings parodying the emperor. Nine chapters, organized under the rubrics of Visual Humor, Social Humor, and Sexual Humor, analyze a wide range of visual art, including wall painting, sculpture, mosaics, and ceramics. Archaeological sites, as well as a range of ancient texts, inscriptions, and graffiti, provide the background for understanding the how and why of humorous imagery. This entertaining study offers fascinating insights into the mentality of Roman patrons and viewers who enjoyed laughing at the gods, the powers-that-be, and themselves. |
| Local Note |
eBooks on EBSCOhost EBSCO eBook Subscription Academic Collection - North America |
| Subject |
Wit and humor in art.
|
|
Wit and humor in art. |
|
Arts, Roman.
|
|
Arts, Roman. |
| Genre/Form |
Electronic books.
|
| Other Form: |
Print version: Clarke, John R., 1945- Looking at laughter. Berkeley : University of California Press, ©2007 9780520237339 (DLC) 2007022331 (OCoLC)140103577 |
| ISBN |
9780520929838 (electronic book) |
|
0520929837 (electronic book) |
|
1282357050 |
|
9781282357051 |
|
