Good Humor, Bad Taste: A Sociology of the Joke (Mouton Textbook)

Review: "Good Humor, Bad Taste is the first extensive sociological study of the relationship between humor and social background. Using a combination of interview materials, survey data, and historical materials, the book explores the relationship between humor and gender, age, social class, and national differences in the Netherlands and the United States. The exploration of social differences in sense of humor starts off from one specific, and not very prestigious, humorous genre: the joke. Good Humor, Bad Taste explains why jokes are good humor to some, bad taste to others."--Jacket

This is an updated edition of Good Humor, Bad Taste: A Sociology of the Joke, published in 2006. Using a combination of interview materials, survey data, and historical materials, it explores the relationship between humor and gender, age, social class, and national differences in the Netherlands and the United States. This edition includes new developments and research findings in the field of humor studies.

Preface to the new edition; Acknowledgments; Contents; Chapter 1. Introduction: Jokes, humor, and taste; Researching jokes; Jokes and humor; Humor as a social phenomenon; Humor and taste; The context of Dutch humor; The design of this book; Part I Style and social background; Chapter 2. The joke: Genesis of an oral genre; The joke as oral culture; The spread of the joke; The genesis of the joke; The status of the joke; High and low humor; Conclusion: Changing criteria for judging the joke; Chapter 3. Joke telling as communication style; Joke telling and social background; Jokes and gender Introduction : jokes, humor, and taste -- The joke : genesis of an oral genre -- Joke telling as communication style -- The humor divide : class, age, and humor styles -- The logic of humor styles -- The repertoire : Dutch joke culture -- Temptation and transgression -- Sense and sociability -- National humor styles : humor styles, joke telling and social background in the United States -- Sociology and the joke -- The jokes used in the Dutch survey -- Dutch humorists and television programs