Description
Book SynopsisTells the stories of five women who have created revolutionary forms of comic performance and discourse that defy the flagrant prejudices about women/feminists. The artists include 16th-century performer Isabella Andreini, 17th-century improviser Catherine Biancolelli, 20th century playwright Franca Rame, and contemporary performance artists Deb Margolin and Kimberly Dark.
Trade Review“Never before has the history of Western women in comedy been written with such historical scope or comparative detail. Radulescu brings the astute eye of the theatre historian to a socially committed feminist inquiry into women’s humor, creating a study that’s useful for scholars and practitioners, teachers and students. Tracing women’s use of
commedia dell’arte from 16th century Italy to the contemporary United States, by women clowns from Isabella Andreini and Caterina Biancolelli to Franca Rame and Deb Margolin, Radulescu creates a new genealogy for feminist comic performance, dispelling the stereotype of women as humorless once and for all. In lively prose, grounded in precise arguments, evidence, and exercises, Radulescu draws together Bergson, Bakhtin, and feminist performance critics to chart women’s specific contributions to the important work of humor in providing insight into our common—as well as our specifically gendered—situations and circumstances.”—Jill Dolan, Director, Program in Gender and Sexuality Studies, Annan Professor in English and Professor, Theatre Program at Princeton University.
