Laughter in Ancient Rome :On Joking, Tickling, and Cracking Up - Sather Classical Lectures

3.60 ( 323 Ratings by Goodreads)
Laughter in Ancient Rome

Laughter in Ancient Rome :On Joking, Tickling, and Cracking Up - Sather Classical Lectures

(Author)
3.60 (323 Ratings by Goodreads)
paperback
Published: 12 March, 2024
Standard worldwide delivery by Tue, June 30 - Fri, July 3
Order within 0
Condition: NEW
$22.49
Price includes shipping
Available 6 in stock
- +
Add to basket Wishlist This
FREE Returns within 30 days
More Details

Popular Books by Mary Beard

View All Books by Mary Beard
Classics
Classics
Mary Beard
$13.78
New
Add to basket
Twelve Caesars
Twelve Caesars
Mary Beard
$39.51 $40.21
New
Add to basket
The Roman Triumph
The Roman Triumph
Mary Beard
$32.09 $32.10
New
Add to basket
Twelve Caesars
Twelve Caesars
Mary Beard
$28.99
New
Add to basket
Civilisations: How Do We Look / The Eye of Faith
Civilisations: How Do We Look / The Eye of Faith
Mary Beard
$17.09 $17.41
New
Add to basket
Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire
Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire
Mary Beard
$7.18 $20.09
Used
Add to basket
Rome in the Late Republic
Rome in the Late Republic
Mary Beard
$38.52
New
Add to basket
Classical Art
Classical Art
Mary Beard
$28.17 $32.83
New
Add to basket
Civilisations: How Do We Look / The Eye of Faith
Civilisations: How Do We Look / The Eye of Faith
Mary Beard
$8.73 $20.11
Used
Add to basket
Feminine power
Feminine power
Mary Beard
$35.00 $40.21
New
Add to basket

Description

"Superbly acute and unashamedly complex."—The Telegraph
"Rich and provocative."—Times Literary Supplement
"An engaging exploration."—The New Yorker
"The phenomenal Ms. Beard has written another cracking book, one of her best."—The Independent

What made the Romans laugh? Was ancient Rome a carnival, filled with practical jokes and hearty chuckles? Or was it a carefully regulated culture in which the uncontrollable excess of laughter was a force to fear—a world of wit, irony, and knowing smiles? How did Romans make sense of laughter? What role did it play in the world of the law courts, the imperial palace, or the spectacles of the arena?

Laughter in Ancient Rome explores one of the most intriguing, but also trickiest, of historical subjects. Drawing on a wide range of Roman writing—from essays on rhetoric to a surviving Roman joke book—Mary Beard tracks down the giggles, smirks, and guffaws of the ancient Romans themselves. From ancient “monkey business” to the role of a chuckle in a culture of tyranny, she explores Roman humor from the hilarious, to the momentous, to the surprising.  But she also reflects on even bigger historical questions. What kind of history of laughter can we possibly tell? Can we ever really “get” the Romans’ jokes?
See more

More Details

Type Book
ISBN13 9780520401495
ISBN10 0520401492
Number Of Pages 336
Item Weight 408 g
Product Dimensions 140 x 216 x 25 mm
Publisher / Reseller University of California Press
Format paperback
See More +

GoodReads Reviews

Author's Bio

Mary Beard is Professor of Classics at Cambridge University. Her many books include The Roman Triumph and The Fires of Vesuvius.

Show more