Playboys and Killjoys : An Essay on the Theory and Practice of Comedy

Harry Levin--one of America's major literary critics--offers a brilliant and original study of the whole world of comedy, concentrating on playwrights through the centuries, from Aristophanes and Plautus in classical times to Bernard Shaw and Bertolt Brecht and their recent successors. Viewing the comic repertory as a richly varied yet broadly unified whole, Levin provides a synthesis of theories and practice. Isolating two fundamental aspects of comedy--the ludicrous and irreverent ''playboy,'' whom we laugh with, and the ridiculous and forbidding ''killjoy,'' whom we laugh at--he traces the dialectical interplay of these components throughout history and across various cultures and media. While mainly focusing on the plays and the stage, with discussions of such major dramatists as Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Moliere, and William Congreve, Levin also includes essays on such related topics as humor, satire, and games.
Harry Levin--one of America's major literary critics--offers a brilliant and original study of the whole world of comedy, concentrating on playwrights through the centuries, from Aristophanes and Plautus in classical times to Bernard Shaw and Bertolt Brecht and their recent successors.
Viewing the comic repertory as a richly varied yet broadly unified whole, Levin provides a synthesis of theories and practice. Isolating two fundamental aspects of comedy--the ludicrous and irreverent "playboy," whom we laugh with, and the ridiculous and forbidding "killjoy," whom we laugh at--he traces the dialectical interplay of these components throughout history and across various cultures and media. While mainly focusing on the plays and the stage, with discussions of such major dramatists as Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Molière, and William Congreve, Levin also includes essays on such related topics as humor, satire, and games. Contents......Page 10 PLAYBOYS AND KILLJOYS......Page 12 Points of Departure......Page 14 1. Coming to Terms......Page 20 2. Rules of the Game......Page 30 3. The Argument......Page 40 4. Bonds of Interest......Page 51 5. Reductions to Folly......Page 61 6. The Truth of Masks......Page 73 7. Duplicities......Page 83 8. Zanyism......Page 95 9. Domesticities......Page 105 10. Designs for Living......Page 114 11. Mixed Emotions......Page 124 12. Metacomedy......Page 134 SUPPLEMENTARY ESSAYS......Page 144 A. From Play to Plays......Page 146 B. Notes on City Comedy......Page 166 C. Veins of Humor......Page 186 D. The Wages of Satire......Page 203 B......Page 218 D......Page 219 H......Page 220 L......Page 221 N......Page 222 S......Page 223 T......Page 224 Z......Page 225 Harry Levin-one of America's leading literary critics-offers a brilliant and original study of the whole world of comedy, concentrating on playwrights through the centuries, from Aristophanes and Plautus in classical times to Bernard Shaw and Bertolt Brecht and their recent successors. Harry Levin. Delivered As Una's Lectures In The Humanities At The University Of California (berkeley) In March And April, 1985--p. Vii. Includes Index.