Blind Men and Elephants

In Blind Men and Elephants, Arthur Asa Berger uses case histories to show how scholars from different disciplines and scholarly domains have tried to describe and understand humor. He reveals not only the many approaches that are available to study humor, but also the many perspectives toward humor that characterize each discipline. Each case history sheds light on a particular aspect of humor, making the combination of approaches of considerable value in the study of social research. Among the various disciplines that Berger discusses in relation to humor are: communication theory, philosophy, semiotics, literary analysis, sociology, political science, and psychology. Berger deals with these particular disciplines and perspectives because they tend to be most commonly found in the scholarly literature about humor as well as being those that have the most to offer. Blind Men and Elephants covers a wide range of humor, from simple jokes to the uses of literary devices in films. Berger observes how humor often employs considerable ridicule directed at diverse groups of people: women, men, animals, politicians, African Americans, Jews, Catholics, Protestants, gay people, straight people, and so forth. The book also explains the risk factor in ridicule as a humorous device. Blind Men and Elephants depicts how one entity or one situation can be viewed in as many different ways as the number of people studying it. Berger also shows how those multiple perspectives, the Rashomon Effect, can be used together to create a clearer understanding of humor. Blind Men and Elephants is a valuable companion to Berger's recent effort about humor, An Anatomy of Humor, and will be enjoyed by communication and information studies scholars, sociologists, literary studies specialists, philosophers, and psychologists.

Acknowledgments Preface 1. Mirrors on Mirth: Making Sense of Humor 2. The Messages of Mirth: Humor and Communication Theory 3. The Problem of Laughter: Philosophical Approaches to Humor 4. The Rhetoric of Laughter: The Techniques Used in Humor 5. The Structure of Laughter: Semiotics and Humor 6. From Carnival to Comedy: Literary Theory and Humor 7. The Functions of Laughter: Sociological Aspects of Humor 8. The Politics of Laughter: A Cultural Theory of Humor Preferences 9. On Mind and Mirth: Psychology and Humor 10. Seeing Laughter: Visual Aspects of Humor 11. After the Laughter: A Concluding Note Bibliography Name Index Subject Index Joke and Humorous Text Index