How the philosophers and polemicists of eighteenth-century Britain used ridicule in the service of religious toleration, abolition, and political justice

The relaxing of censorship in Britain at the turn of the eighteenth century led to an explosion of satires, caricatures, and comic hoaxes. This new vogue for ridicule unleashed moral panic and prompted warnings that it would corrupt public debate. But ridicule also had vocal defenders who saw it as a means to expose hypocrisy, unsettle the arrogant, and deflate the powerful. Uncivil Mirth examines how leading thinkers of the period searched for a humane form of ridicule, one that served the causes of religious toleration, the abolition of the slave trade, and the dismantling of patriarchal power.

Ross Carroll brings to life a tumultuous age in which the place of ridicule in public life was subjected to unparalleled scrutiny. He shows how the Third Earl of Shaftesbury, far from accepting ridicule as an unfortunate byproduct of free public debate, refashioned it into a check on pretension and authority. Drawing on philosophical treatises, political pamphlets, and conduct manuals of the time, Carroll examines how David Hume, Mary Wollstonecraft, and others who came after Shaftesbury debated the value of ridicule in the fight against intolerance, fanaticism, and hubris.

Casting Enlightenment Britain in an entirely new light, Uncivil Mirth demonstrates how the Age of Reason was also an Age of Ridicule, and speaks to our current anxieties about the lack of civility in public debate.

"Winner of the Morris D. Forkosch Book Prize, Journal for the History of Ideas"
"For those curious to know the role of ridicule in eighteenth-century Britain, Ross Carroll’s Uncivil Mirth is the place to start. In it, readers will find a reliable survey of the main lines of argument about ridicule’s function in enlightened public debate."---Mark G. Spencer, LSE Review of Books
"Witty and insightful. . . . this study could hardly be more timely."---Jan Machielsen, Times Literary Supplement ​​​​​​​
"A most valuable study, which must be engaged with in all future studies of the Enlightenment."---Dr. Cliff Cunningham, Sun News Austin
"Rich and nuanced."---Roger D. Lund, The Scriblerian and the Kit-Cats
"An exceptionally well-researched intellectual history. . . . [Uncivil Mirth] is an enjoyable and beautifully written study, full of unexpected insights, entertaining anecdotes, and fun."---Max Skjönsberg, Journal of Modern History

Ross Carroll is senior lecturer in political theory and a member of the Centre for Political Thought at the University of Exeter. Twitter @rossecarroll