Description
Book SynopsisIdeal for classroom use, this anthology of original essays by the leading authorities on women's comedy surveys the disorderly, subversive, and unruly performances of women comics from silent film to contemporary multimedia
Trade ReviewHere to meet all your funny female deep-read needs . . . a juicy read for those who love the many ways female comics use their art to question the patriarchy. * BUST *
Hysterical! is and will be of benefit to any scholar studying women and humour and especially for star studies scholars that focus on funny women. * Aigne *
Hysterical! is wide-ranging, well-researched, and clearly written, making it accessible to both academic and general audiences…an invaluable collection and a great read." * Journal of Popular Culture *
Together, Mizejewski and Sturtevant create a collection which thoroughly explores aspects of the body, gender, and sexuality in American women’s comedy, shedding light on the fact that, to appear funny to men, women often find themselves making fun of their own bodies and sexual experiences in a way most male comics do not...
Hysterical! is a thorough collection of essays on the works of women in American comedy, focusing on themes relating to the body, sexuality, and expectations of women in society. * Popular Culture Studies Journal *
Table of Contents
- Foreword (Kathleen Rowe Karlyn)
- Acknowledgments
- Introduction (Linda Mizejewski and Victoria Sturtevant)
- 1. Mabel Normand: New Woman in the Flapper Age (Kristine Brunovska Karnick )
- 2. Fay Tincher: Female Rowdiness and Social Change (Joanna E. Rapf )
- 3. Mae West: The Constant Sinner (Kristen Hatch)
- 4. Fanny Brice’s New Nose: Beauty, Ethnicity, and Liminality (Kristen Anderson Wagner)
- 5. Lucille Ball and the Lucy Character: Familiarity, Female Friendship, and the Anxiety of Competence (Lori Landay)
- 6. Carol Burnett: Home, Horror, and Hilarity on The Carol Burnett Show (Linda Mizejewski)
- 7. Lily Tomlin: Queer Sensibilities, Funny Feminism, and Multimedia Stardom (Suzanne Leonard)
- 8. Moms Mabley and Wanda Sykes: “I’ma Be Me” (Bambi Haggins)
- 9. Roseanne Barr: Remembering Roseanne (Rosie White )
- 10. Whoopi Goldberg in Hollywood: Queering Comic Genre Genealogies (Rebecca Wanzo)
- 11. Margaret Cho’s Army: “We Are the Baddest Motherfuckers on the Block” (Rebecca Krefting)
- 12. Ellen DeGeneres’s Incorporate Body: The Politics of Authenticity (Brenda R. Weber and Joselyn K. Leimbach)
- 13. Sarah Silverman: Cuteness as Subversion (Anthony P. McIntyre )
- 14. Tina Fey: “Quality” Comedy and the Body of the Female Comedy Author (Julia Havas)
- 15. Lena Dunham: Cringe Comedy and Body Politics (Maria Sulimma )
- Works Cited
- Contributors
- Index
