Books > History > Asian / Middle Eastern history
|
Buy Now
The Age of Irreverence - A New History of Laughter in China (Hardcover)
Loot Price: R1,445
Discovery Miles 14 450
You Save: R305
(17%)
|
|
The Age of Irreverence - A New History of Laughter in China (Hardcover)
Expected to ship within 12 - 17 working days
|
Donate to Gift Of The Givers
Total price: R1,465
Discovery Miles: 14 650
|
The Age of Irreverence tells the story of why China's entry into
the modern age was not just traumatic, but uproarious. As the Qing
dynasty slumped toward extinction, prominent writers compiled jokes
into collections they called histories of laughter." In the first
years of the Republic, novelists, essayists and illustrators alike
used humorous allegories to make veiled critiques of the new
government. But, again and again, political and cultural discussion
erupted into invective, as critics gleefully jeered and derided
rivals in public. Farceurs drew followings in the popular press,
promoting a culture of practical joking and buffoonery. Eventually,
these various expressions of hilarity proved so offensive to
high-brow writers that they launched a concerted campaign to
transform the tone of public discourse, hoping to displace the old
forms of mirth with a new one they called youmo (humor).
Christopher Rea argues that this period from the 1890s to the 1930s
transformed how Chinese people thought and talked about what is
funny. Focusing on five cultural expressions of laughter jokes,
play, mockery, farce, and humor he reveals the textures of comedy
that were a part of everyday life during modern China's first age
of irreverence." This new history of laughter not only offers an
unprecedented and up-close look at a neglected facet of Chinese
cultural modernity, but also reveals its lasting legacy in the
Chinese language of the comic today and its implications for our
understanding of humor as a part of human culture.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
|
You might also like..
|
Email address subscribed successfully.
A activation email has been sent to you.
Please click the link in that email to activate your subscription.