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Practically Joking
In Practically Joking , the first full-length study of the practical joke, Moira Marsh examines the value, artistry, and social significance of this ancient and pervasive form of vernacular expression.
Though they are sometimes dismissed as the lowest form of humor, practical jokes come from a lively tradition of expressive play. They can reveal both sophistication and intellectual satisfaction, with the best demanding significant skill and talent not only to conceive but also to execute. Practically Joking establishes the practical joke as a folk art form subject to critical evaluation by both practitioners and audiences, operating under the guidance of local aesthetic and ethical canons.
Marsh studies the range of genres that pranks comprise; offers a theoretical look at the reception of practical jokes based on “benign transgression”—a theory that sees humor as playful violation—and uses real-life examples of practical jokes in context to establish the form’s varieties and meanings as an independent genre, as well as its inextricable relationship with a range of folklore forms. Scholars of folklore, humor, and popular culture will find much of interest in Practically Joking .
Though they are sometimes dismissed as the lowest form of humor, practical jokes come from a lively tradition of expressive play. They can reveal both sophistication and intellectual satisfaction, with the best demanding significant skill and talent not only to conceive but also to execute. Practically Joking establishes the practical joke as a folk art form subject to critical evaluation by both practitioners and audiences, operating under the guidance of local aesthetic and ethical canons.
Marsh studies the range of genres that pranks comprise; offers a theoretical look at the reception of practical jokes based on “benign transgression”—a theory that sees humor as playful violation—and uses real-life examples of practical jokes in context to establish the form’s varieties and meanings as an independent genre, as well as its inextricable relationship with a range of folklore forms. Scholars of folklore, humor, and popular culture will find much of interest in Practically Joking .
- GenresNonfiction
211 pages, Paperback
First published July 15, 2015
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 2, 2024
Objectively speaking this is probably a three-star academic book. Mostly, it ably applies other people's theories to a topic that hasn't been given enough attention and comes up with a few interesting insights. If you're interested in an academic look at pranks, I definitely recommend it but it's not like it's going to revolutionize any field or be extensively quoted in academia.
Subjectively speaking, however, this is my jam! How can I not give 5 stars when I literally read the bibliography and index word for word 😜
Some criticisms:
-Marsh limits herself mostly to white people in North America and New Zealand. I get it, but it would be nice to have a little more representation.
-Nary a mention of recent media pranksters like Sacha Baron Cohen, Nathan Fielder, JackAss, Tom Green, and the like.
Subjectively speaking, however, this is my jam! How can I not give 5 stars when I literally read the bibliography and index word for word 😜
Some criticisms:
-Marsh limits herself mostly to white people in North America and New Zealand. I get it, but it would be nice to have a little more representation.
-Nary a mention of recent media pranksters like Sacha Baron Cohen, Nathan Fielder, JackAss, Tom Green, and the like.
Displaying 1 of 1 review