Description
Book SynopsisPresents the study of stand-up comedy as a form of art. This title appreciates and analyses the specific practice of stand-up itself, moving beyond theories of the joke, of the comic, and of comedy in general to read stand-up through the lens of literary and cultural theory.
Trade Review“John Limon’s book opens up exciting new possibilities in cultural studies. Stand-up comedy—manic, smutty, abusive, improvisatory—has up to now evaded academic critics, as if its pleasures were too volatile for examination. Limon carries off the feat—rarely achieved by analysts of humour—of taking comedy seriously without spoiling the jokes.”—Maud Ellmann, University of Cambridge
“Limon’s close readings of specific comic performances are masterful, making vivid and compelling his larger and more abstract arguments about the ways that comedy allows us to deal with the process of cultural abjection. Speaking as someone who has taught and written about the American comic tradition for more than a decade, I can honestly say I learned something significant about each of the performers he examines.”—Henry Jenkins, author of
Classical Hollywood ComedyTable of ContentsIntroduction: Approximations, Apologies, Acknowledgments
1. Inrage: A Lenny Bruce Joke and the Topography of Standup
2. Nectarines: Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks
3. Analytic of the Ridiculous: Mike Nichols and Elaine May
4. Journey to the End of the Night: David Letterman with Kristeva, Céline, Scorse
5. Scatology: Richard Pryor in Concert
6. Skirting, Kidding: Ellen DeGeneres and Paula Poundstone
Notes
Works Cited
