Comedy and stand-up Books

Book SynopsisSir Lenny Henry is one of the country's best-loved comedians with a career spanning over forty years. Here he writes about his youth for the first time.You might think you know Lenny Henry. Think again.'Glorious.' NEIL GAIMAN'Touching and affectionate.' CANDICE CARTY-WILLIAMS, SUNDAY TIMES'Heartfelt . . . honest.' OBSERVER'Moving, powerful and very funny.' MAIL ON SUNDAYIn 1975, a gangly black sixteen-year-old apprentice factory worker from Dudley appeared on our TV screens for the first time. He had no idea he would go on to become a national treasure. Here at last, Sir Lenny Henry tells the revealing and very funny story of his rise to fame.Surviving a tough family upbringing, along with the trauma of finding out the truth about his father at a young age, Lenny beat the odds. With a riotous warmth and his trademark energy, in Who Am I, Again?<

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Book SynopsisMartha Bayless is Professor of Medieval Studies and director of the Folklore and Public Culture Program at the University of Oregon, USA.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Series Preface Editor’s Acknowledgments Introduction: Comedy in the Middle Ages: Answers and Questions, Martha Bayless (University of Oregon, USA) 1. Form: Its Expressions and Manifestations, Olle Ferm (Stockholm University, Sweden) 2. Theory: Comedy Humbled and Exalted, Johan Verberckmoes (KU Leuven, Belgium) 3. Praxis: The Location and Performance of Comedy, Katherine A. Brown (University of Notre Dame, USA) 4. Identity, John DuVal (University of Arkansas, USA) 5. The Body: Unstable, Gendered, Theorized, Susan Signe Morrison (Texas State University, USA) 6. Politics: Comic Power, Foolish Men, and Holy Women, Max Harris (University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA) 7. Laughter: A Comedic Approach, Sebastian Coxon (University College London, UK) 8. Ethics: Ethical Dimensions of Medieval Comedy, Nicolino Applauso (Loyola University Maryland, USA and Morgan State University, USA) Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisOffering for the first time a student introduction to Aristophanes' most explosive political satire, this volume is an essential guide to the context, themes and later reception of Cavalry. The ancient comedy is a fascinating insight into demagoguery and political rhetoric in classical Athens. These are subjects that resonate with a modern audience more now than ever before.Originally performed in 424 BCE, Cavalry was the first play Aristophanes directed himself and it was awarded first prize. It targets the Athenian demagogue, Cleon, who had risen to prominence since the death of Pericles and to pre-eminence after an audacious victory over Sparta in 425 BCE. In Cavalry, Aristophanes attacks Cleon's popularity with the masses, but also criticises the democracy itself as guilty of gullibility, self-interest and political shortsightedness. As the play shows, the only hope of escape from the crisis is for Athens to find a leader even more popular CleTable of ContentsList of Figures Preface A Note on the Spelling of Ancient Greek words in English A Note on the Play’s Title List of Abbreviations 1. Aristophanes and drama in Classical Athens 2. Aristophanes’ Cavalry and Cleon 3. Cavalry 1-302: Prologue scene and parodos 4. Cavalry 303-610: First agon and parabasis 5. Cavalry 611-996: Report of off-stage action and second agon 6. Cavalry 997-1150: Divination contest and ‘duet’ 7. Cavalry 1151-1315: Competition in public service and second parabasis 8. Cavalry 1316-1408: Closing episodes and exodos 9. Modern reception and performance Notes Bibliography Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisDrawing together contributions from scholars in a wide range of fields inside Classics and Drama, this volume traces the development of comedic performance and examines the different characteristics of Greek and Roman comedy. Although the origins of comedy are obscure, this study argues that comedic performances were at the heart of Graeco-Roman culture from around 486 BCE to the mid first century BCE. It explores the range of comedies during this period, which were fictional dramas that engaged with the political and social concerns of ancient society, and also at times with mythology and tragedy.The volume centres largely around the surviving work of Aristophanes and Menander in Athens, and Plautus and Terence in Rome, but authors whose plays survive only in fragments are also discussed. Performances and plays drew on a range of forms, including satire and fantasy, and were designed to entertain and amuse their audiences while also asking them to question issues of moralit

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Book SynopsisDrawing together contributions from scholars in a range of fields within 19th- and 20th-century cultural, literary, and theater studies, this volume provides a thorough and varied overview of the many forms comedy took in the 19th century. Given the earth-shattering cultural changes and political events that mark the decades between 1800 and 1920shifting borders, socioeconomic upheaval, scientific and technological innovation, the rise of consumerism and mass culture, unprecedented overseas expansion by European and American imperial powersit is no wonder that people in the Age of Empire turned to comedy in order to make sense of the contradictions that structure modern identity and navigate the sociocultural fault lines within modern life. Comical, humorous, and satirical cultural artifacts from the period capture the anxieties and aspirations, the petty resentments and lofty ideals, of a world buffeted by change. This volume explores the aesthetic, political, and ethical d

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Book SynopsisDrawing together scholars with a wide range of expertise across the early modern period, this volume explores the rich field of early modern comedy in all its variety. It argues that early modern comedy was shaped by a series of cultural transformations that included the emergence of the entertainment industry, the rise of the professional comedian, extended commentaries on the nature of comedy and laughter, and the development of printed jestbooks. It was the prime site from which to satirize a rapidly-changing world and explore the formation of new social relations around questions of gender, authority, identity, and commerce, amongst others. Yet even as it reacted to the novel and the new, comedy also served as a receptacle for the celebration of older social rituals such as May games and seasonal festivities. The result was a complex and contested mix of texts, performances, and concepts providing a deep tradition that abides to this day. Each chapter takes a different

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Book SynopsisComedy and humor flourished in manifold forms in the Middle Ages. This volume, covering the period from 1000 to 1400 CE, examines the themes, practice, and effects of medieval comedy, from the caustic morality of principled satire to the exuberant improprieties of many wildly popular tales of sex and trickery. The analysis includes the most influential authors of the age, such as Chaucer, Boccaccio, Juan Ruiz, and Hrothswitha of Gandersheim, as well as lesser-known works and genres, such as songs of insult, nonsense-texts, satirical church paintings, topical jokes, and obscene pilgrim badges. The analysis touches on most of the literatures of medieval Europe, including a discussion of the formal attitudes toward humor in Christian, Jewish, and Islamic traditions. The volume demonstrates the many ways in which medieval humor could be playful, casual, sophisticated, important, subversive, and even dangerous.Each chapter takes a different theme as its focus: form, theory, praxi

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Book SynopsisDrawing together contributions by scholars from a variety of fields, including theater, film and television, sociology, and visual culture, this volume explores the range and diversity of comedic performance and comic forms in the modern age. It covers a range of forms and examples from 1920 to the present day, including plays, film, television comedy, live comedy, and comedy on social media. It argues that the period covered was marked by an explosion of comic forms and a flowering of comic creativity across a range of media. From the communal watching of silent films at the start of the period, to the use of Twitter and other online platforms to share and comment on comedy, technology has brought about significant changes in its form, consumption, and social effects. As comic forms have shifted and developed, so too have attitudes to what comedy can and cannot do. This study considers its role in entertainment and in provoking consideration of a range of social and political topic

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Book SynopsisThe ULTIMATE unofficial companion to the YouTube superwoman sensation, Lilly Singh.

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Book SynopsisCheech Marin came of age at an interesting time in America and became a self-made counterculture legend with his other half, Tommy Chong. This long-awaited memoir delves into how Cheech dodged the draft, formed one of the most successful comedy duos of all time, became the face of the recreational drug movement with the film Up in Smoke, forged a successful solo career with roles in The Lion King and, more recently, Jane the Virgin, and became the owner of the most renowned collection of Chicano art in the world.Written in Cheech''s uniquely hilarious voice, this memoir will take you to new highs.

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Book Synopsis'Warm witty and wise.' --RICHARD OSMAN'Hilarious, wise and heart breaking. Like an all-night over-share with your best friend.' --SARA PASCOE'Rachel is one of my favourite comedians. This book is warm, wise and hilarious. It is written in her comic voice - a voice she mainly has used to tell me off, so I am thrilled to see it deployed in this way.' --NISH KUMAR'The most joyful bursts of wisdom from a truly funny soul. I adore this book.' --CARIAD LLOYD'Hilarious, original and wise. This is essential reading.' --ELLIE TAYLOR'Rachel is one of the wisest, funniest people I know. Funny, sad, beautiful and ridiculous, Advice from Strangers has it all.' --PIPPA EVANS'A hilarious, fiery, reassuring hug of a book. Full of laughter, compassion and feminist wisdom.' --FRAN BUSHE'An essential, hilarious handbook for life.' --ATHENA KUGBLENUCOMEDIAN RACHEL PARRIS WAS ASKED TO GIVE AN INSPIRING GRADUATION SPEECH. WHO DID SHE ASK FOR ADVICE? TOTAL STRANGERS...Over the course of a year award-winning comedian Rachel Parris asked members of her live audience for advice. Here she takes those random bits of wisdom - such as 'Be Kind' or 'Never Pass Up the Opportunity for a Wee' - and explores them in ways that are funny and serious, hilarious and heart-breaking. This uplifting feminist manifesto of a book outlines the essentials of living in the modern world; dealing with everything from Tampons to Tories and from #hashtags to Staying Hydrated.Trade ReviewRachel is one of my favourite comedians. This book is warm, wise and hilarious. It is written in her comic voice - a voice she mainly has used to tell me off, so I am thrilled to see it deployed in this way. -- Nish KumarHilarious, wise and heart breaking. Like an all-night over-share with your best friend. -- Sara PascoeWarm witty and wise -- Richard OsmanThe most joyful bursts of wisdom from a truly funny soul. I adore this book. -- Cariad LloydAn essential, hilarious handbook for life. -- Athena KugblenuRachel is one of the wisest, funniest people I know. Funny, sad, beautiful and ridiculous, Advice from Strangers has it all. -- Pippa EvansHilarious, original and wise. This is essential reading. -- Ellie TaylorA hilarious, fiery, reassuring hug of a book. Full of laughter, compassion and feminist wisdom. -- Fran BusheFunny, sad, joyful, and wise, something everyone should have on their bookshelf * funnywomen.com *

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