Description
Book SynopsisImmortal Comedy is the first book to ''think'' philosophically about the comic phenomenon in general. Although author Agnes Heller had written a book that is both deeply scholarly and meditative on the subject of the comic form in film, literature, and life her writing is eminently approachable. In both its subject and style, Immortal Comedy is a seminal book. In it, Heller takes us on a journey through theories of comedy beginning with classical thought. She then detours through foundational political thinkers who refer to, for instance, laughter and power. We are also introduced to modern systematic approaches to thinking comedy, psychological approaches, and existential approaches. The discerning combination of Heller''s individual taste for the pantheon of comedic work and, also, what critics may consider ''less significant'' work gives this book a character apart from all others. It is the detail with which Heller makes her discussion, how and where she locates ''the comic,'' and
Table of ContentsChapter 1 The Undeterminable Essence of the Comic Chapter 2 On Laughter Chapter 3 The Comic Drama Chapter 4 The Comic Novel Chapter 5 Existential Comedy Chapter 6 The Joke or the Third Kind of Narrative Prose Chapter 7 The Comic Image in Visual Arts I Chapter 8 The Comic Image in Visual Arts II Chapter 9 An Address to the Faithful Reader
