HUMOR IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF BRITISH LIFE AND LITERATURE
In "The Screwtape Letters, " C.S. Lewis's title character observes that Jokes and Flippancy are valued so highly by the English, "who take their 'sense of humour' so seriously that a deficiency in this sense is almost the only deficiency at which they feel shame." J.B. Priestly, too, in a related observation comments: "It is curious that so few foreigners have noticed that we English are a humorous race....In no other country will you hear so much talk about a sense of humour."
COVERS HUMOROUS LITERATURE FROM MEDIEVAL TO MODERN TIMES
Now for the first time, a comprehensive and up-to-date reference work tackles the subject of humor as it has been expressed in British literature, from "Beowulf" to the present. The 206 signed original essays represent the work of 119 scholars from seven countries and diverse disciplines. Major literary figures such as Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, G.B. Shaw, and Noel Coward are included, as well as lesser known lights such as Francis Beaumont, Stella Gibbons, and George Du Maurier. Readers may be surprised to learn that other literary luminaries such as W.H. Auden, Winston Churchill, Samuel Johnson, and Edith Sitwell have also produced humorous writings.
ANALYZES LITERARY AND COMIC TECHNIQUES
The most important feature of the essays is their literary analysis, which provides an overview of the author's writings, as well as in-depth analyses of comic techniques in the subject's major works. A biography helps place the writer in historical context, providing such information as the place and date of birth, education, honors and achievements, marital status, and place and date of death. In addition to the signed essays, the "Encyclopedia" includes a preface, a chronological index, a list of pseudonyms, an introduction, a list of the contributors, and an index.

First published in 1985, this bibliography focuses on the works of S. J. Perelman as a humorist, author, and screenwriter. It is divided into two major sections: "Works by S. J. Perelman" and "Critical Responses". Within each section, there are subdivisions which focus on various areas of S. J. Perelman's work, including his novel, published plays and film scripts.

First published in 1992, this book focuses on the oeuvre of S. J. Perelman. Taken together, the essays included serve as an introduction to this important humorist's work, both in terms of the specific short prose pieces, plays, and films examined and as an overview of his lengthy professional career. They provide insightful and in-depth literary analyses as well. The work encourages a better appreciation for Perelman's contributions to American literary history.

First published in 1988, this book contains entries on famous American Humorists. Humor has been present in American literature, from the beginning, and has developed characteristics that reflect the American character, both regional and national. Although American literature was, in the past, treated as inferior to British literature, there has always been a large popular audience for the genre, which this book shows. The figures with entries in this encyclopedia not only amuse in their writing, but also aim to enlighten- setting out to expose the foibles and foolishness of society and the individuals who compose it. It is the manner in which these authors try to accomplish this end that determines whether they appear in the volume. Indeed, the book will demonstrate that the best humor has at its base, a ready understanding of human nature.

First published in 1985, this bibliography focuses on the works of S. J. Perelman as a humorist, author, and screenwriter. It is divided into two major sections: "Works by S. J. Perelman" and "Critical Responses". Within each section, there are subdivisions which focus on various areas of S. J. Perelman's work, including his novel, published plays and film scripts.

First published in 1992, this book focuses on the oeuvre of S. J. Perelman. Taken together, the essays included serve as an introduction to this important humorist's work, both in terms of the specific short prose pieces, plays, and films examined and as an overview of his lengthy professional career. They provide insightful and in-depth literary analyses as well. The work encourages a better appreciation for Perelman's contributions to American literary history.

First published in 1988, this book contains entries on famous American Humorists. Humor has been present in American literature, from the beginning, and has developed characteristics that reflect the American character, both regional and national. Although American literature was, in the past, treated as inferior to British literature, there has always been a large popular audience for the genre, which this book shows. The figures with entries in this encyclopedia not only amuse in their writing, but also aim to enlighten- setting out to expose the foibles and foolishness of society and the individuals who compose it. It is the manner in which these authors try to accomplish this end that determines whether they appear in the volume. Indeed, the book will demonstrate that the best humor has at its base, a ready understanding of human nature.

While best known as one of the most important playwrights of the twentieth century, Harold Pinter held an equally successful career writing screenplays. His collaborations with English director Joseph Losey garnered great attention and esteem, and he was nominated for two Academy Awards for best screenplay: The French Lieutenant's Woman in 1981 and Betrayal in 1983 . He is also credited for writing an unproduced script to remake Stanley Kubrick's 1962 adaptation of Lolita. Much scholarship has been dedicated to the subject of Pinter as playwright, but the rich landscape of his work in film has been left largely undisturbed. In Sharp Cut: Harold Pinter's Screenplays and the Artistic Process, Steven H. Gale, the world's foremost Pinter scholar, analyzes Pinter's creative process from initial conception to finished film. Gale makes careful, point-by-point comparisons of each stage in the screenplay's creation -- the source material, the adaptations themselves, and the films made from the scripts -- in order to reveal the meaning behind each film script and to explain the cinematic techniques used to express that meaning. Unlike most Pinter scholars, who focus almost solely on the written word, Gale devotes discussion to the cinematic interpretation of the scripts through camera angles and movement, cutting, and other techniques. Pinter does not merely convert his stage scripts to screenplays; he adapts the works to succeed in the other medium, avoiding elements of the live play that do not work onscreen and using the camera's focusing operations in ways that are not possible on the stage. As Pinter's career progressed and his writing evolved, screenplays became for him an increasingly vital means of creative expression. Sharp Cut is the first study to fully explore this important component of the Pinter canon.