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The Naked Jape: Uncovering The Hidden World Of Jokes
Is Man the only animal that laughs? Why are clowns so scary? Do jokes make children more intelligent? Are men funnier than women? Can God take a joke? What's brown and sticky? Top comedian Jimmy Carr and fellow joke-lover Lucy Greeves tour the strange and wonderful world of jokes - to find out what's funny and why. With over 400 of the best jokes ever told, The Naked Jape is both a lesson in joke-making and a damn good laugh.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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1341 people want to read
About the author
Jimmy Carr
10 books130 followersJames Anthony Patrick "Jimmy" Carr (born 15 September 1972) is an English comedian and humourist, known for his deadpan delivery, dark humour, and use of edgy one-liners. He is also a writer, actor and presenter of radio and television. Carr moved to a career in comedy in 2000 and has become a successful British comedian. After becoming established as a stand-up comedian, Carr began to appear in a number of Channel 4 television shows, most notably as the host of the panel show 8 out of 10 Cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
July 24, 2012
This is a fun book! A professional comic and his friend, who seems to be some kind of academic type, collaborate to write a treatise on the nature of humour. They've done a good job, and there is at least one joke on every page - a really varied assortment too, ranging from traditional staples (What's brown and sticky?) to sophisticated meta-jokes. Some of the ones I liked most are in my updates.
You can read it for the jokes alone, but I thought the discussion was at least as worthwhile. They look at the subject from many different angles, and go through a bunch of theories about how humour works. One thing they notice is that the arguments any given person presents in favour of a theory seem to say more about them than they do about the theory itself. Their star example is the sexually obsessed Professor Legman (his real name), whose Freudian theory of jokes was based on the hypothesis that they are always about sex. Evidently, sex often features in jokes, but to say they're always about sex does seem to take it way too far. It's a good warning though.
Here are some more of the theories they describe. Perhaps the most popular one comes from that well-known prankster, Immanuel Kant. Kant thought that the essence of the joke is incongruity: you see things one way, then you suddenly flip over to seeing them a different way. Carr and Greaves agree with Kant that this is important, but they point out that incongruity isn't enough on its own: in particular, timing is essential too. All the same, they think that jokes usually involve incongruity in some form.
Another mainstream theory, going back at least as far as Aristotle, is that jokes are about demonstrating superiority. You laugh at people to show that you're better or smarter or something like that. Certainly, Polish jokes and blonde jokes seem to fit the bill - not to mention what's arguably the greatest joke of all time, slipping on a banana-skin and falling flat on your ass. Again, though, it's easy to find jokes where no one is obviously being insulted or degraded.
Yet another theory: jokes are about exercising power. You gain power over people by making them laugh. Servile employees stereotypically laugh at their boss's jokes (they quote studies demonstrating that this really happens). Also, as Woody Allen points out, laughter is a weapon of seduction, so jokes give you sexual power too. Interestingly, they point out that it's mostly in the male-to-female direction. For some reason, men want to make women laugh, but aren't generally as keen on having women make them laugh. One wonders why not.
They look at it from other perspectives as well. Some animals may have a sense of humour: perhaps Aristotle was wrong when he said that man is the animal that laughs. They talk about the cultural roots of humour, in legends of trickster gods (amazing how widespread they are), who are almost always aggressively male, with huge penises. Well, let's face it: even if humour isn't all about sex, penises are funny. And there's a good deal about different kinds of jokes, and about what it's like to be a standup comedian. I'm afraid I was a little disappointed to hear how heavily scripted standup is. I'd thought it was more spontaneous than it turns out to be. There's a nice chapter on the subversive element inherent in jokes.
At the end of the day, they remind us that humour is a strange and wonderful thing. We all know what it is from our own experience, but no one can explain it! It's not for nothing that Raymond Smullyan drew an analogy between humour and mysticism in Planet Without Laughter . And Wittgenstein said that humour isn't a feeling, but a way of looking at the world. As usual for Wittgenstein, a simple but at the same time very deep observation.
Well, as I said, it's fun. Check it out for yourself - it's a quick read! And if you're still wondering what's brown and sticky, the answer is a stick.
______________________________________________
So here's a theory that attempts to tie together several of the observations made in this book. As the authors say, humour must be useful in some way, but how? I wonder if it could be part of the mechanism that forces people to adapt to the societal norms around them. If you see someone who's not quite fitting the accepted social pattern, they seem incongruous. Maybe they speak in an odd way, or they are unaware of some of the complex social norms that make up the fabric of society. That incongruity is funny, so we laugh at them. But being laughed at doesn't feel nice. The people who are behaving oddly experience a pressure to conform, and that pressure is created by other people's sense of humour.
It sounds rather horrible, but if we didn't experience pressure to imitate other people's behaviour with great exactness then society wouldn't be possible. In particular, language wouldn't be possible. Everyone these days agrees that language isn't taught in the school-room; it's acquired from the people around you. And, from the abstract point of view, what I like about my hypothesis is that it combines the "incongruity" and "superiority" theories, and possibly also the "power" theory. Once you have enough power to make the people around laugh at the things that you consider funny, you can exert pressure on other people due to their fear of ridicule.
What do you think? Note that if you start laughing hysterically and pointing your finger at my absurd review, I'll be less inclined to argue for it. If you mock it offensively enough, I may even withdraw it. But if you instead make fun of the weird, dumb people who don't like it, I'll start thinking I may have stumbled on something good.
______________________________________________
I wrote to Matthew Hurley, one of the authors of Inside Jokes , to ask him what he thought of my theory. Apparently it was suggested by the French philosopher Henri Bergson in 1911. Damn. As usual, nothing new under the sun.
You can read it for the jokes alone, but I thought the discussion was at least as worthwhile. They look at the subject from many different angles, and go through a bunch of theories about how humour works. One thing they notice is that the arguments any given person presents in favour of a theory seem to say more about them than they do about the theory itself. Their star example is the sexually obsessed Professor Legman (his real name), whose Freudian theory of jokes was based on the hypothesis that they are always about sex. Evidently, sex often features in jokes, but to say they're always about sex does seem to take it way too far. It's a good warning though.
Here are some more of the theories they describe. Perhaps the most popular one comes from that well-known prankster, Immanuel Kant. Kant thought that the essence of the joke is incongruity: you see things one way, then you suddenly flip over to seeing them a different way. Carr and Greaves agree with Kant that this is important, but they point out that incongruity isn't enough on its own: in particular, timing is essential too. All the same, they think that jokes usually involve incongruity in some form.
Another mainstream theory, going back at least as far as Aristotle, is that jokes are about demonstrating superiority. You laugh at people to show that you're better or smarter or something like that. Certainly, Polish jokes and blonde jokes seem to fit the bill - not to mention what's arguably the greatest joke of all time, slipping on a banana-skin and falling flat on your ass. Again, though, it's easy to find jokes where no one is obviously being insulted or degraded.
Yet another theory: jokes are about exercising power. You gain power over people by making them laugh. Servile employees stereotypically laugh at their boss's jokes (they quote studies demonstrating that this really happens). Also, as Woody Allen points out, laughter is a weapon of seduction, so jokes give you sexual power too. Interestingly, they point out that it's mostly in the male-to-female direction. For some reason, men want to make women laugh, but aren't generally as keen on having women make them laugh. One wonders why not.
They look at it from other perspectives as well. Some animals may have a sense of humour: perhaps Aristotle was wrong when he said that man is the animal that laughs. They talk about the cultural roots of humour, in legends of trickster gods (amazing how widespread they are), who are almost always aggressively male, with huge penises. Well, let's face it: even if humour isn't all about sex, penises are funny. And there's a good deal about different kinds of jokes, and about what it's like to be a standup comedian. I'm afraid I was a little disappointed to hear how heavily scripted standup is. I'd thought it was more spontaneous than it turns out to be. There's a nice chapter on the subversive element inherent in jokes.
At the end of the day, they remind us that humour is a strange and wonderful thing. We all know what it is from our own experience, but no one can explain it! It's not for nothing that Raymond Smullyan drew an analogy between humour and mysticism in Planet Without Laughter . And Wittgenstein said that humour isn't a feeling, but a way of looking at the world. As usual for Wittgenstein, a simple but at the same time very deep observation.
Well, as I said, it's fun. Check it out for yourself - it's a quick read! And if you're still wondering what's brown and sticky, the answer is a stick.
______________________________________________
So here's a theory that attempts to tie together several of the observations made in this book. As the authors say, humour must be useful in some way, but how? I wonder if it could be part of the mechanism that forces people to adapt to the societal norms around them. If you see someone who's not quite fitting the accepted social pattern, they seem incongruous. Maybe they speak in an odd way, or they are unaware of some of the complex social norms that make up the fabric of society. That incongruity is funny, so we laugh at them. But being laughed at doesn't feel nice. The people who are behaving oddly experience a pressure to conform, and that pressure is created by other people's sense of humour.
It sounds rather horrible, but if we didn't experience pressure to imitate other people's behaviour with great exactness then society wouldn't be possible. In particular, language wouldn't be possible. Everyone these days agrees that language isn't taught in the school-room; it's acquired from the people around you. And, from the abstract point of view, what I like about my hypothesis is that it combines the "incongruity" and "superiority" theories, and possibly also the "power" theory. Once you have enough power to make the people around laugh at the things that you consider funny, you can exert pressure on other people due to their fear of ridicule.
What do you think? Note that if you start laughing hysterically and pointing your finger at my absurd review, I'll be less inclined to argue for it. If you mock it offensively enough, I may even withdraw it. But if you instead make fun of the weird, dumb people who don't like it, I'll start thinking I may have stumbled on something good.
______________________________________________
I wrote to Matthew Hurley, one of the authors of Inside Jokes , to ask him what he thought of my theory. Apparently it was suggested by the French philosopher Henri Bergson in 1911. Damn. As usual, nothing new under the sun.
March 6, 2013
Absorbing, funny and surprisingly well written. This is not a shameless celebrity cash-in, this is apparently something which the two authors cared about and wanted to do properly.
They manage the tricky balancing act of fitting plenty of laughs in the text while also taking the subject seriously and giving the reader a really informative and fascinating discussion. Their investigation into every aspect of jokology takes in Elegba the trickster god, The Wise Men of Gotham, the ancient Roman idiot trade, children saying "poo!", Eskimo drumming contests, Aristotle, Freud, Dario Fo, Stalin and Bernard Manning. Plus there's a really good selection of gags between chapters and at the foot of every page.
The discussion on offensive jokes is particularly interesting for anyone who's seen Jimmy Carr perform. I'm sure his analysis of the issue is far from the last word on the subject and there are holes that could be picked in his argument but it does show that he's certainly being thoughtful about it rather than just finding justifications for what he does.
Overall, I'm glad I read this. I've got a couple more jokes in my repertoire and, as I bought it in a charity shop, I didn't even have to contribute to Jimmy the tax-dodger's dodgy finances. Result.
They manage the tricky balancing act of fitting plenty of laughs in the text while also taking the subject seriously and giving the reader a really informative and fascinating discussion. Their investigation into every aspect of jokology takes in Elegba the trickster god, The Wise Men of Gotham, the ancient Roman idiot trade, children saying "poo!", Eskimo drumming contests, Aristotle, Freud, Dario Fo, Stalin and Bernard Manning. Plus there's a really good selection of gags between chapters and at the foot of every page.
The discussion on offensive jokes is particularly interesting for anyone who's seen Jimmy Carr perform. I'm sure his analysis of the issue is far from the last word on the subject and there are holes that could be picked in his argument but it does show that he's certainly being thoughtful about it rather than just finding justifications for what he does.
Overall, I'm glad I read this. I've got a couple more jokes in my repertoire and, as I bought it in a charity shop, I didn't even have to contribute to Jimmy the tax-dodger's dodgy finances. Result.
May 14, 2024
'The Naked Jape' is informative and funny, though not necessarily in that order.
This book is a natural history of the joke; a deconstruction of the joke, at least as told in the English language; an examination of the role of jokes in society; and a joke book.
But wait! There's more! It's also a laugh-out-loud funny 298 pages. There's a joke in the footer of every page. There are three or four page interludes of jokes between every chapter. There are jokes woven into the prose. The book is like a good comedy: if a gag isn't working for you, don't worry. There's another one around the corner.
If you're an easy laugh at comedy clubs, if you relish crafting jokes or funny stories of your own, or if you're simply interested in one of the few universal pursuits which bring joy to (almost) all, this is the book for you. I loved it.
This book is a natural history of the joke; a deconstruction of the joke, at least as told in the English language; an examination of the role of jokes in society; and a joke book.
But wait! There's more! It's also a laugh-out-loud funny 298 pages. There's a joke in the footer of every page. There are three or four page interludes of jokes between every chapter. There are jokes woven into the prose. The book is like a good comedy: if a gag isn't working for you, don't worry. There's another one around the corner.
If you're an easy laugh at comedy clubs, if you relish crafting jokes or funny stories of your own, or if you're simply interested in one of the few universal pursuits which bring joy to (almost) all, this is the book for you. I loved it.
August 2, 2011
Although there is a joke at the foot of every page and a dozen between chapters, this is not a particularly funny book. This is a genuine attempt to locate the place that the joke and laughter occupy in the human psyche. As the quote from E. B. White says at the start of chapter five; “Analysing humour is like dissecting a frog. Few people are interested, and the frog dies.”
This is a genuinely well thought out treatise into the nature of humour and well worth a look provided you realise that around about a fifth of the book is filled with actual jokes – and some belters are in there – and the other four-fifths is a psychological breakdown of such topics as; why do we laugh? What purpose do jokes serve? Should any subject be a taboo for humour? And is it really the way you tell them?
Just be prepared that this is more about the science of the joke – more specifically, psychology and the place of humour in the human nature – than a joke book.
This is a genuinely well thought out treatise into the nature of humour and well worth a look provided you realise that around about a fifth of the book is filled with actual jokes – and some belters are in there – and the other four-fifths is a psychological breakdown of such topics as; why do we laugh? What purpose do jokes serve? Should any subject be a taboo for humour? And is it really the way you tell them?
Just be prepared that this is more about the science of the joke – more specifically, psychology and the place of humour in the human nature – than a joke book.
March 12, 2012
I considered covering this up when I read it outside, as Jimmy Carr is one of those comedians who make ironic or ambiguous offensive jokes, then quite happily accept ticket money from people who wouldn't know irony or ambiguity if they hit themselves in the face with them.
Al Murray, he's the worst one for it. And he has such kind eyes.
Anyway, having said that, I like Jimmy, and his jokes make me laugh SO PERHAPS THE JOKE IS ON ME. This book is a very good exploration of all the different aspects of humour, with a broad scope and an even hand. It has lots of good gags in it as well at the start of each chapter. My favourite jokes are the ones about the Jews and the Queers.
Last night on Room 101 Micky Flanagan said he wanted to put celebrity chefs in Room 101, 'because there's so many of them nowadays, and they've all got their 'thing' that they do.' Not like comedians, eh Micky?
Ed
Al Murray, he's the worst one for it. And he has such kind eyes.
Anyway, having said that, I like Jimmy, and his jokes make me laugh SO PERHAPS THE JOKE IS ON ME. This book is a very good exploration of all the different aspects of humour, with a broad scope and an even hand. It has lots of good gags in it as well at the start of each chapter. My favourite jokes are the ones about the Jews and the Queers.
Last night on Room 101 Micky Flanagan said he wanted to put celebrity chefs in Room 101, 'because there's so many of them nowadays, and they've all got their 'thing' that they do.' Not like comedians, eh Micky?
Ed
March 3, 2017
Amusing read but no great insight into comedy. Surprised by the amount of toilet humour and 'Carry-On'-style innuendo in a book with pretensions to be a bit more thoughtful. What came across clearly from the authors was that there are still taboos in comedy for modern comedians, the taboos now are anything that contest the brainless liberal ideology that underpins their own thinking.
The research quoted was just confirmation bias to give the appearance of depth to a book that studiously avoided any great insight or investigation into the darker side of comedy and what it might reveal about the human condition.
Can't really complain though, I got in a charity shop for a euro!
The research quoted was just confirmation bias to give the appearance of depth to a book that studiously avoided any great insight or investigation into the darker side of comedy and what it might reveal about the human condition.
Can't really complain though, I got in a charity shop for a euro!
April 16, 2013
It's got Jimmy Carr in, which makes it aces already. I am very impressed with the balance of scholarly study and a relaxed tone in this volume. If you want to read a book about jokes, not just of jokes, then I would suggest this one.
August 3, 2013
Not only a really interesting dissection of how jokes and humour in general work, but it's a joke book too. I laughed out loud many times while reading! You don't even have to like Jimmy Carr to enjoy the book ;)
February 24, 2013
Brilliant. Funny, informative, a great non-fiction read (and I don't say that very often).
December 11, 2017
Surprisingly scholarly and incredibly boring. Read it strictly for the jokes and skip 90% of the theories and rhetoric.
August 19, 2023
This book delivers everything it promises. I wish there'd been some insight into the biology that occurs behind the scenes, however this is a topic for a whole different book. I laughed at some jokes, I gained more appreciation for stand up comedy, although I am not a big fan, I learned some interesting facts about humor in history ( I didn't expect the importance of the jester in court, I us4d to think he was just some guy everybody took a piss at, guess not). I think it'd be cool if the topic of memes was included - they are relatively new, but still incorporate many aspects of the traditional jokes we see in this book. Some of them are funny, yet I cannot pinpoint why. I believe it has to do with the fact that the more odd ones are like inside jokes. They themselves are not funny, but you know exactly what's going on when u see the image, which is so ridiculous that no "outsider" would bother to pay any attention to it. Still, great and fun book.
June 6, 2011
I bought and read this believing it to be a 'how to get more humor in your delivery book'. It isn't.
In this tome, Carr and his co-author repeat the same turgid point chapter after chapter, "Jokes are funny. People like them. If you deconstruct them they loose what makes them funny. "
But deconstruct is precisely what Carr and Comrade try to do. Without much success! They do succeed in making the same points over and over and over, though. Yawn.
Carr includes a few examples of studies done on humor and the oldest known joke which in an etymology sense I suppose is kind of interesting. The end of each chapter is also filled with a few jokes relative to that chapter's content. There are a few hits there, but mostly misses.
I am a great fan of Carr, I don't think he's an idiot at all or an unlikable person. He's simply got a very funny persona which he plays up to on stage and has genuine wit, writing things which are seriously amusing instead of relying on surrealism and stupidity which seem to be all the rage in British Comedy nowadays.
So Carr can certainly pen a joke, which begs the question: why isn't this book funny? Unless you paid RRP for it in which case the joke is certainly on you. I strongly suspect that Carr has had a marginal involvement in the creative process here, and it's made suspiciously unclear what his contributions were.
The book itself attempts to chart a history of a subject which in it's inherent word of mouth nature defies charting. This isn't to say it's badly written, it's certainly very readable - I finished it within a few days.
Overall, if you wish to be mildly entertained and have a limited collection of Christmas cracker style gags and you see it in 'The Works' or similar, be my guest.
If you're looking for something educational or informative, look elsewhere though. Better books on being funny have been written. Unless you like reading the same point being made over and over again. And just for you guys..."Jokes are funny. People like them. If you deconstruct them they loose what makes them funny. "
In this tome, Carr and his co-author repeat the same turgid point chapter after chapter, "Jokes are funny. People like them. If you deconstruct them they loose what makes them funny. "
But deconstruct is precisely what Carr and Comrade try to do. Without much success! They do succeed in making the same points over and over and over, though. Yawn.
Carr includes a few examples of studies done on humor and the oldest known joke which in an etymology sense I suppose is kind of interesting. The end of each chapter is also filled with a few jokes relative to that chapter's content. There are a few hits there, but mostly misses.
I am a great fan of Carr, I don't think he's an idiot at all or an unlikable person. He's simply got a very funny persona which he plays up to on stage and has genuine wit, writing things which are seriously amusing instead of relying on surrealism and stupidity which seem to be all the rage in British Comedy nowadays.
So Carr can certainly pen a joke, which begs the question: why isn't this book funny? Unless you paid RRP for it in which case the joke is certainly on you. I strongly suspect that Carr has had a marginal involvement in the creative process here, and it's made suspiciously unclear what his contributions were.
The book itself attempts to chart a history of a subject which in it's inherent word of mouth nature defies charting. This isn't to say it's badly written, it's certainly very readable - I finished it within a few days.
Overall, if you wish to be mildly entertained and have a limited collection of Christmas cracker style gags and you see it in 'The Works' or similar, be my guest.
If you're looking for something educational or informative, look elsewhere though. Better books on being funny have been written. Unless you like reading the same point being made over and over again. And just for you guys..."Jokes are funny. People like them. If you deconstruct them they loose what makes them funny. "
July 8, 2017
A somewhat interesting exploration of the origins of humour, though mainly flimsy and anecdotal. Still, there was an interesting insight into the nature of the offensive joke - that it is possible that as long as we are laughing at people (even if it is hurtful) we at least recognise their humanity; it is only when we dehumanise them that jokes become irrelevant. With this in mind, it is still largely dominated by a snobbish 'you can't joke about that' mentality when it comes to comedians such as Bernard Manning, who are seen (of course) as inciting the rabble to hate others. Fortunately, for all that, it does serve as a repository for some very good one-liners, and since the old-fashioned 'joke book' no longer really exists, it has value for being a limited compendium of some of the best ones from a fairly recent stock of comedians (including Carr himself of course).
December 9, 2011
If you know what you are looking for, this book can GIVE YOU EVERYTHING. Okay, that was an exaggeration, but this book is fantastic IF you are looking for a book ABOUT jokes and humor, the history, the politics, the culture of joking. It is a sort of anthropology. THIS IS NOT A JOKE BOOK. There are jokes on every page (straight forward, lining the bottom of the pages, I mean) and in between each chapter. But the text is a brilliant survey of the joke taken from different perspectives: myths, offensiveness, ethnicity, religion, being a standup, etc. Plus there's mention of Stewart Lee. So all is right in the world.
Comedy nerds rejoice.
I will now be copying down all of the more academic titles from the further reading section!
Comedy nerds rejoice.
I will now be copying down all of the more academic titles from the further reading section!
Read
January 13, 2018Man walks into a bar...
I got about three-fourths through this book, which was quite fairly enjoyable and mildly thought provoking, when I took it into a regular Friday night Chinatown haunt, and, due to some sadly predictable stupidity between the drunken owner and a douchebag patron, decided that I wanted to be elsewhere. It didn't seem worthwhile wading back into the shitstorm (the cops had everything under control) to retrieve it, so I guess I'll never know how it turns out. I'm sure it'll be tossed out before I'm back next Friday.
It's fun seeing Jimmy Carr, who likes to portray himself as an ignorant smart-ass on British panel shows, show a more scholarly side. Periodically, I could hear his extraordinary laugh in some of the passages.
I got about three-fourths through this book, which was quite fairly enjoyable and mildly thought provoking, when I took it into a regular Friday night Chinatown haunt, and, due to some sadly predictable stupidity between the drunken owner and a douchebag patron, decided that I wanted to be elsewhere. It didn't seem worthwhile wading back into the shitstorm (the cops had everything under control) to retrieve it, so I guess I'll never know how it turns out. I'm sure it'll be tossed out before I'm back next Friday.
It's fun seeing Jimmy Carr, who likes to portray himself as an ignorant smart-ass on British panel shows, show a more scholarly side. Periodically, I could hear his extraordinary laugh in some of the passages.
September 15, 2008
Like most people you probably think Jimmy Carr is a bit of a cock. That occasionally funny bloke who lives on comedy pannel shows and those shows about the 50 most blah blah blah movies/show/events that seem to fill up the Saturday night TV schedule whilst sucking the life out of you. Actual his stand-up material is quite good if a bit formulaic.
Well along with Lucy Greeves (ok she probably did most of the work) he has gone and written a rather brilliant book about comedy. There's also a joke an every page if like me you have the attention span of a gnat. Not such a cock after all it seems...
Well along with Lucy Greeves (ok she probably did most of the work) he has gone and written a rather brilliant book about comedy. There's also a joke an every page if like me you have the attention span of a gnat. Not such a cock after all it seems...
December 16, 2017
Definitely a good history of jokes and joking. Many glaring omissions fails to acknowledge many of the UK 70s comedians who paved the way for alternative comedians as a reaction; instead we get the typical "Bernard Manning was racist". Too many quotes from Jimmy Carr's jokes, we know he co-wrote the book, but in places it feels more like a vanity project than an attempt to cover the history of jokes. The book also drifts into feeling a lot like somebody's university media studies thesis and never quite gets the tone right, between accessible and academic.
February 28, 2015
I only read the first two chapters of this book. I doubt I will finish reading it; at least not in the new future. I found that it was just repeating the same point over and over, and not even then jokes at the ends of chapters were making it worthwhile.
May 25, 2013
nice attempt to explain why we like jokes. interspersed with one liners throughout (one per page)
April 26, 2011
Nice overview. On one hand it's great that the authors tried to be scientific, on the other hand, they did not manage to distinguish between good research and weird speculation.
February 16, 2014
This book is a funny look at jokes that works well. They explore joking in our society, history, what it's for, how humour is useful, theories of humour, offense, and every other part of joking.
June 13, 2022
Read this when it first came out and remember enjoying it a lot. Needed some light relief from some other less fun books I’d been reading, so decided to re-read it.
Very glad I did because it’s still a great read. Full of humour unsurprisingly, but clearly and intelligently written with a real warmth and affection for the subject. Even though it’s now 15+ years old, the only thing that really dates it are the names of some of the comedians proving the jokes.
But the themes it covers, from the origins and history of jokes and humour all the way through to its impact on modern culture still feel very valid to this day. It’s such a human and universal topic, one we start to learn in childhood and take all the way through to old age. The references the authors pull in keep it consistently interesting and funny.
Though not really a joke book as such, there are loads of jokes in it too. One at the bottom of each page, plus a selection at the end of each chapter. Not all of them made me laugh, as everyone’s sense of humour is different, but it did remind me of jokes I’d long forgotten that are still funny.
My favourite was “what did Freud say is the difference between fear and sex? Funf”. Clever on so many levels. Though obviously less funny if you don’t know how to count in German.
Outside the jokes, the writing is clear and engaging, with plenty of evidence, quotes, anecdotes and stories to bring to life what a life-enhancing part humour can play in our lives.
It may not be everyone’s cup of tea (you do need to like British humour to really appreciate it, as it’s quite self-deprecating at times), but it worked for me and I really enjoyed this.
Highly recommend (and not just for all the jokes).
Very glad I did because it’s still a great read. Full of humour unsurprisingly, but clearly and intelligently written with a real warmth and affection for the subject. Even though it’s now 15+ years old, the only thing that really dates it are the names of some of the comedians proving the jokes.
But the themes it covers, from the origins and history of jokes and humour all the way through to its impact on modern culture still feel very valid to this day. It’s such a human and universal topic, one we start to learn in childhood and take all the way through to old age. The references the authors pull in keep it consistently interesting and funny.
Though not really a joke book as such, there are loads of jokes in it too. One at the bottom of each page, plus a selection at the end of each chapter. Not all of them made me laugh, as everyone’s sense of humour is different, but it did remind me of jokes I’d long forgotten that are still funny.
My favourite was “what did Freud say is the difference between fear and sex? Funf”. Clever on so many levels. Though obviously less funny if you don’t know how to count in German.
Outside the jokes, the writing is clear and engaging, with plenty of evidence, quotes, anecdotes and stories to bring to life what a life-enhancing part humour can play in our lives.
It may not be everyone’s cup of tea (you do need to like British humour to really appreciate it, as it’s quite self-deprecating at times), but it worked for me and I really enjoyed this.
Highly recommend (and not just for all the jokes).
February 20, 2024
I'm addicted to placebos. I'd give them up, but it wouldn’t make any difference.
‘I tried to kill myself yesterday by taking 1000 aspirin.’ “What happened?” ‘Oh, after the first two | felt better.’
Hi you can keep your head when all about are losing theirs, you'll be taller than anybody else.
Why do kamikaze pilots wear helmets? Smacks of indecision to me.
any kind of joke is a tell-tale marker for hidden pain.
Life doesn't imitate art — it imitates bad television. Woody Allen
A substantial society of committed Christian clowns applies a similar principle to church congregations, using clownish skirts to preach the gospel. The theory is that dressing up as a clown allows an adult to reveal solemn truths with childlike innocence and playfulness.
‘The premise of all comedy is a man in trouble.’
If you go looking for concealed sexual motives in the text of a particular joke, it’s like scattering coins with one hand while wielding the metal detector with the other.
Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
A man orders a pizza, and the clerk asks if he should cut it into six pieces or twelve. ‘Make it six,’ says the man. I could never eat twelve.’
Two snakes in the middle of the jungle. One says to the other, ‘Just out of interest, are we poisonous?” ‘I don’t really know,’ replies his friend. ‘Why?’ ‘I just bit my tongue.’
Guns don't kill people, people kill people. And monkeys do too — if they have a gun.
‘I tried to kill myself yesterday by taking 1000 aspirin.’ “What happened?” ‘Oh, after the first two | felt better.’
Hi you can keep your head when all about are losing theirs, you'll be taller than anybody else.
Why do kamikaze pilots wear helmets? Smacks of indecision to me.
any kind of joke is a tell-tale marker for hidden pain.
Life doesn't imitate art — it imitates bad television. Woody Allen
A substantial society of committed Christian clowns applies a similar principle to church congregations, using clownish skirts to preach the gospel. The theory is that dressing up as a clown allows an adult to reveal solemn truths with childlike innocence and playfulness.
‘The premise of all comedy is a man in trouble.’
If you go looking for concealed sexual motives in the text of a particular joke, it’s like scattering coins with one hand while wielding the metal detector with the other.
Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
A man orders a pizza, and the clerk asks if he should cut it into six pieces or twelve. ‘Make it six,’ says the man. I could never eat twelve.’
Two snakes in the middle of the jungle. One says to the other, ‘Just out of interest, are we poisonous?” ‘I don’t really know,’ replies his friend. ‘Why?’ ‘I just bit my tongue.’
Guns don't kill people, people kill people. And monkeys do too — if they have a gun.
October 15, 2024
I had my expectations set low coming in to this, and was surprisingly .. surprised.
Mr Carr and his counterpart actually did their homework for this, producing an insightful and (relatively) well researched analysis of humour from a great many perspectives: historical, cultural, political, psychological, physiological, and even philosophic.
What it lacks in academic rigour it gains by a sheer determination to pepper the entire work with jokes - literally one at the end of every page - and ultimately comes off feeling as more of a tribute piece to the almighty joke than an objective exploration of the subject.
tldr; not too heavy, you'll have a chuckle and just might learn something.
spoiler: Jimmy Carr is very pro-joke
Mr Carr and his counterpart actually did their homework for this, producing an insightful and (relatively) well researched analysis of humour from a great many perspectives: historical, cultural, political, psychological, physiological, and even philosophic.
What it lacks in academic rigour it gains by a sheer determination to pepper the entire work with jokes - literally one at the end of every page - and ultimately comes off feeling as more of a tribute piece to the almighty joke than an objective exploration of the subject.
tldr; not too heavy, you'll have a chuckle and just might learn something.
spoiler: Jimmy Carr is very pro-joke
May 6, 2022
The authors write well, and with love for the subject, and it transpires. In terms of content, the book does not have much to offer - I could count the number of information I noted down on my fingers.
My favorite part thus were the jokes that are interspersed throughout the book, especially the on liners at bottom of each page.
My favorite part thus were the jokes that are interspersed throughout the book, especially the on liners at bottom of each page.
July 21, 2022
Although this book could be a little dry in places, overall it's pretty enjoyable. Even if the chapter regarding gender was a bit depressing if you are a woman! Men only like funny women for one night stands apparently!
I really liked the joke on each page and even though none made me laugh out loud, many made me smile.
I really liked the joke on each page and even though none made me laugh out loud, many made me smile.
December 11, 2023
Trying to analyse humour is like dissecting a frog - you learn a lot, but it dies in the process.
If there was ever someone to analyse humour in a way that doesn't kill the essence, it's Jimmy Carr and Lucy Greeves. They handle the subject with the perfect balance that keeps you entertained throughout the book, while also educating you on how humour works and the purpose that it serves.
If there was ever someone to analyse humour in a way that doesn't kill the essence, it's Jimmy Carr and Lucy Greeves. They handle the subject with the perfect balance that keeps you entertained throughout the book, while also educating you on how humour works and the purpose that it serves.
October 23, 2019
I'm not great at reading non-fiction so this took me a while as my attention span was about a half a chapter. But the subject matter was interesting and also funny on occasion. Good book. Wish could say 3.5 rather than 4 but ok.
December 11, 2019
Jimmy Carr and Lucy Greeves sail the stormy seas of comedy to find out what is a joke?, why do we joke? and what defines different kinds of jokes. It also has a lot of jokes in there,should your mind wander.
February 12, 2023
Well written, well researched and insightful. I was glad to have picked it up. Any person with even a passing interest in comedy should find it worth the read, but if you are a comedian, you should add it to your collection immediately.
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