The Mirth of Nations is a social and historical study of jokes
told in the principal English-speaking countries. It is based on
use of archives and other primary sources, including old and rare
joke books. Davies makes detailed comparisons between the humor of
specific pairs of nations and ethnic and regional groups. In this
way, he achieves an appreciation of the unique characteristics of
the humor of each nation or group.
A tightly argued book, The Mirth of Nations uses the comparative
method to undermine existing theories of humor, which are rooted in
notions of hostility, conflict, and superiority, and derive
ultimately from Hobbes and Freud. Instead Davies argues that humor
merely plays with aggression and with rule-breaking, and that the
form this play takes is determined by social structures and
intellectual traditions. It is not related to actual conflicts
between groups. In particular, Davies convincingly argues that
Jewish humor and jokes are neither uniquely nor overwhelmingly
self-mocking as many writers since Freud have suggested. Rather
Jewish jokes, like Scottish humor and jokes are the product of a
strong cultural tradition of analytical thinking and intelligent
self-awareness.
The volume shows that the forty-year popularity of the Polish
joke cycle in America was not a product of any special negative
feeling towards Poles. Jokes are not serious and are not a form of
determined aggression against others or against one's own group.
The Mirth of Nations is readable as well as revisionist. It is
written with great clarity and puts forward difficult and complex
arguments without jargon in an accessible manner. Its rich use of
examples of all kinds of humor entertains the reader, who will
enjoy a great variety of jokes while being enlightened by the
author's careful explanations of why particular sets of jokes exist
and are immensely popular. The book will appeal to general readers
as well as those in cultural studies.
General
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