During the 18th and 19th centuries in Britain there was a wide range of literary humor. Much of this humor was satiric, ranging from the sharp barbs of Pope and Swift to the more subtle but stinging wordplay of Addison. In the 18th century, Richardson, Fielding, Smollett, and Sterne wrote humorous novels, in which they criticized society. The period was largely dominated by satire, in which the dunce was a common figure. There was a proliferation of satires in prose and verse, along with satiric operas, pamphlets, and other writings. During the 19th century, writers such as Dickens, Thackeray, Eliot, and Carlyle continued to use humor to comment on the issues of their day, though their writings were often far more gentle than those of their predecessors. This reference book is a comprehensive guide to how British writers of the 18th and 19th centuries used humor in their works. An introductory chapter overviews humor in British literature of the era. The sections that follow then treat humor in British literature of the 18th century and of the early, middle, and later 19th century. Each of these sections includes a short introduction, followed by chronologically arranged profiles of various authors. Each profile discusses how the author used humor and includes extensive bibliographic information. A thorough index allows the reader to access information alphabetically, while the chronological arrangement of the profiles shows how humor in British literature evolved over time.

Humor began in British literature during the Middle Ages, when Chaucer developed the storytelling tradition along with the ironies that resulted from the juxtaposition of people from different classes and points of view. Shakespeare later developed vernacular and street humor in his comedies, festive humor in his romances and histories, and dark humor in his tragedies. During the Restoration, Congreve established the Comedy of Manners. This book overviews scholarship in humor in British literature from the Middle Ages through the seventeenth century. Chapters are devoted to particular centuries, with authors listed individually within each chapter. Each entry discusses the role of humor in the author's work and includes a bibliography.

The volume begins with an introductory essay on the origins of British humor in the Middle Ages. Chapters then examine British literary humor during particular centuries. Each chapter begins with an overview of humor during that time period. Entries for individual authors follow, with each entry discussing the role of humor in the author's work and providing a bibliography of modern studies. Entries are arranged chronologically to show the development of humor over time, while an index allows alphabetical access to individual authors.

Much of today's communication is carried out through various kinds of humor, and we therefore need to be able to understand its many aspects. Here, two of the world's leading pioneers in humor studies, Alleen and Don Nilsen, explore how humor can be explained across the numerous sub-disciplines of linguistics. Drawing on examples from language play and jokes in a range of real-life contexts, such as art, business, marketing, comedy, creative writing, science, journalism and politics, the authors use their own theory of 'Features, functions and subjects of Humor' to analyze humor across all disciplines. Each highly accessible chapter uses a rich array of examples to stimulate discussion and interaction even in large classes. Supplemental PowerPoints to accompany each of the 25 chapters are available online, taking many of the insights from the chapters for further interactional discussions with students.

For more than two thousand years we have known satirists as those wits who expose hypocrisy and deftly stick shafts into our ballooned egos. Collectively we resent this perspicacity-satirists are never much liked. We give them their due, however, by admiring their ability to make us laugh while they make us squirm. Introduction to Satire explains fully how the satirist manages to express his criticism in forms that society is willing to accept-in spite of the fact that no one likes to be criticized. New introduction by Don L. F. Nilsen, Historian. International Society for Humor Studies.

Much of today's communication is carried out through various kinds of humor, and we therefore need to be able to understand its many aspects. Here, two of the world's leading pioneers in humor studies, Alleen and Don Nilsen, explore how humor can be explained across the numerous sub-disciplines of linguistics. Drawing on examples from language play and jokes in a range of real-life contexts, such as art, business, marketing, comedy, creative writing, science, journalism and politics, the authors use their own theory of 'Features, functions and subjects of Humor' to analyze humor across all disciplines. Each highly accessible chapter uses a rich array of examples to stimulate discussion and interaction even in large classes. Supplemental PowerPoints to accompany each of the 25 chapters are available online, taking many of the insights from the chapters for further interactional discussions with students.