Greek Laughter: A Study of Cultural Psychology from Homer to Early Christianity

by Stephen Halliwell

The first book to offer an integrated reading of ancient Greek attitudes to laughter. Taking material from various genres and contexts, the book analyses both the theory and the practice of laughter as a revealing expression of Greek values and mentalities. Greek society developed distinctive institutions for the celebration of laughter as a capacity which could bridge the gap between humans and gods; but it also feared laughter for its power to expose individuals and groups to shame and even violence. Caught between ideas of pleasure and pain, friendship and enmity, laughter became a theme of recurrent interest in various contexts. Employing a sophisticated model of cultural history, Stephen Halliwell traces elaborations of the theme in a series of important texts: ranging far beyond modern accounts of 'humour', he shows how perceptions of laughter helped to shape Greek conceptions of the body, the mind and the meaning of life.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Psychology, Humor, Classics, Greece

632 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Odessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've only read one chapter but I already know it's one of the most thoroughly researched books possibly of all-time. Every second footnote corrects some statement made by some scholar in another footnote in some obscure journal, and the other footnotes cite every single piece of evidence by classical authors specialists haven't heard of. And he's a good writer. Currently reading the whole thing cover-to-cover so I can better understand how inadequate I am at research.

Oh, and it talks about funny stuff like sex and shit.

[Jen Well-Steered · Rating 2 out of 5]

Turns out this is not a joke book. No need to read it unless you are so fascinated by Greek ideas of humour that 650 pages, again with no jokes, seems like fun.

[Otto · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a full-blown cultural history of Greek laughter. I never knew such a thing existed. It is the work of at least 10 years, and the author covers many centuries, from the Hellenic to early Christian views on laughter. The Greeks had 60 word groups for laughter, and every philosopher of ancient world cements on a behavior shared by dogs and gods alike. Serious scholarly tome full of fun and seriousness simultaneous.