Cohen, Ted.

Jokes : philosophical thoughts on joking matters / Ted Cohen. - Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 1999. - 1 online resource (xi, 99 pages)

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Jokes are conditional -- When jokes are asymmetrical -- Problems and occasions for joke-making -- Jewish jokes and the acceptance of absurdity -- Taste, morality, and the propriety of joking.

"Jokes is a book of jokes and a book about them. Cohen loves a good laugh, but as a philosopher, he is also interested in how jokes work, why they work, and when they don't. The delight at the end of a joke is the result of a complex set of conditions and processes, and Cohen takes us through these conditions in a philosophical exploration of humor. He considers questions of audience, selection of joke topics, the ethnic character of jokes, and their morality, all with plenty of examples that will make you either chuckle or wince. Jokes: more humorous than other philosophy books, more philosophical than other humor books."--Jacket.

0226112322 9780226112329


Wit and humor--History and criticism.
TRAVEL--Special Interest--Literary.
LITERARY CRITICISM--General.
Wit and humor.
Grappen.
Filosofische aspecten.


Criticism, interpretation, etc.
Electronic books.
Electronic books.

PN6147 / .C56 1999eb

809.7