Greek Laughter
Subtitle: a Study of Cultural Psychology from Homer to Early Christianity
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2008
Place of publication: Leiden
Language: eng
Format: [electronic resource] :
Number of pages: 632
ISBN-13: 9780511437281; 9781281903877
Subjects: Laughter
Description: Shows how the theme of laughter can shed light on ancient Greek ethical values and attitudes to life.
Notes: Description based on print version record.
Table of contents: title: Cover; Half-title; Title; Copyright; Contents; Preface; Note to the reader; Abbreviations; Chapter 1 Introduction: Greek laughter in theory and practice; Chapter 2 Inside and outside morality: the laughter of Homeric gods and men; Chapter 3 Sympotic elation and resistance to death; Chapter 4 Ritual laughter and the renewal of life; Chapter 5 Aischrology, shame and Old Comedy; Chapter 6 Greek philosophy and the ethics of ridicule; Chapter 7 Greek laughter and the problem of the absurd; Chapter 8 The intermittencies of laughter in Menander's social world.; title: Chapter 9 Lucian and the laughter of life and deathChapter 10 Laughter denied, laughter deferred: the antigelastic tendencies of early Christianity; Appendix 1 The Greek (body) language of laughter and smiles; Appendix 2 Gelastic faces in visual art; Bibliography; Index of selected authors and works; Index of selected Greek terms; General index.