The Game of Humor: A Comprehensive Theory of Why We LaughHumor, wit, and laughter surround each person. From everyday quips to the carefully contrived comedy of literature, newspapers, and television we experience humor in many forms, yet the impetus for our laughter is far from innocuous. Misfortune, stupidity, and moral or cultural defects, however faintly revealed in others and ourselves, seem to make us laugh. Although discomforting, such negative terms as superiority, aggression, hostility, ridicule, or degradation can be applied to instances of humor. According to scholars, Thomas Hobbes's "superiority theory"?that humor arises from mischances, infirmities, and indecencies, where there is no wit at all?applies to most humor. With the exception of good-natured play, Charles R. Gruner claims that humor is rarely as innocent as it first appears.Gruner's proposed superiority theory of humor is all-encompassing. In The Game of Humor, he expands the scope of Hobbes's theory to include and explore the contest aspect of "good-natured" play. As such, the author believes all instances of humor can be examined as games, in terms of competition and keeping score?winners and losers. Gruner draws on a broad spectrum of thought-provoking examples. Holocaust jokes, sexual humor, the racialist dialogue of such comic characters as Stepin Fetchit and Archie Bunker, simple puns, and many of the author's own encounters with everyday humor. Gruner challenges the reader to offer a single example of humor that cannot be "de-humorized" by its agonistic nature.The Game of Humor makes intriguing and enjoyable reading for people interested in humor and the aspects of human motivation. This book will also be valuable to professionals in communication and information studies, sociologists, literary critics and linguists, and psychologists concerned with the conflicts and tensions of everyday life. |
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Abner Doubleday aggressive humor American angered anti-Semitic argue asked baby behavior called cartoons chapter Charles comedy comic script competition consider Davies dead baby jokes dirty jokes doctor Dundes Ed Gein Editorial Satire Effect of Humor elephant joke enjoy ethnic examples feel female Folklore funny Gary Hart Gruner Helen Keller hostile human Humor Research incongruity innocent involved Jewish humor Jewish jokes Jews joke-teller Journal of Humor Journal of Personality kind laugh laughter Legman Little Audrey little moron loser male man’s Morreall mother movie nonhostile nonsense one’s Paper presented play frame Prerost punster ratings replies riddler Ruthless Rhymes says sexual humor sick humor sick jokes slapstick Social Psychology stereotype stories stupid sudden superiority tell theory of humor Truly Tasteless Jokes verbal Vic Morrow What’s wife winner winning woman women words York young Zeke