Reviewing both canonical literature and various forms of “off-color” humor, this course traces changing expressions and functions of American humor, from colonial and revolutionary humor, to Jacksonian frontier fiction, to the urban humor of the early twentieth century, to more recent manifestations in the age of television and movies, such as stand-up comedy, sitcoms, and (post-)modernist black humor. Considering variables such as race, gender and geography, the course draws on classical theories of laughter and wit to address the seriousness of joking in the United States as a social practice that is at once curative and contagious.
- Teacher: Michael Boyden