• Cite/Export
  Cite/Export

  Copy a citation

  APA (6th ed.)

  

  Chicago (Author-Date, 15th ed.)

  

  Harvard (18th ed.)

  

  MLA (7th ed.)

  

  Turabian (6th ed.)

  

  Export a citation

  Export to RefWorks   Export to EndNote / Reference Manager   Export to EasyBib
  Export to EndNote / Reference Manager(non-Latin)   Cancel

  Note: Citations are based on reference standards. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. The specific requirements or preferences of your reviewing publisher, classroom teacher, institution or organization should be applied.
• Print
• E-mail
  E-mail

  All fields are required.

  The E-mail Address(es) field is required. Please enter recipient e-mail address(es).

  The E-mail Address(es) you entered is(are) not in a valid format. Please re-enter recipient e-mail address(es).

  You may send this item to up to five recipients.

  Enter recipient e-mail address(es): Separate up to five addresses with commas (,)

  The name field is required. Please enter your name.

  Enter your name: The subject field is required. Please enter the subject. Subject:

  The E-mail message field is required. Please enter the message.

  E-mail Message: I thought you might be interested in this item at http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/27768523 Title: The soul of wit : joke theory from Grimm to Freud Author: Carl Hill Publisher: Lincoln : University of Nebraska Press, ©1993. ISBN/ISSN: 0803223692 9780803223691 OCLC:27768523

  
  

  Please verify that you are not a robot.

  Cancel
• Share
• Permalink
  Permalink

  Copy this URL to link to this page:

• Write a review
• Rate this item:
• • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

The soul of wit : joke theory from Grimm to Freud

Author:	Carl Hill
Publisher:	Lincoln : University of Nebraska Press, ©1993.
Series:	Modern German culture and literature.
Edition/Format:	Print book : EnglishView all editions and formats
Summary:	Witz first became a burning issue for German intellectuals after 1671 when le Pere Dominique Bonhours in his Entretiens d'Ariste et d'Eugene informed them that they didn't have any. According to Bonhours, it wasn't really the Germans' fault that they were a little dim, it is just that they live in a cold climate and tend to be fat. A feud between French bel esprit and German Intellekt erupted that has persisted ever since. Scholarly investigations into the nature of the joke have traditionally been plagued by a bad conscience and invariably begin with an apology to the reader for taking time for such a frivolous subject. In breaking with this tradition, Hill places wit almost at the heart of the universe, tracing it from Genesis to the dawn of the modern age. Even if the reader is reluctant to grant Witz this metaphysical and world-historical status, it must at least be admitted that Witz cannot be dismissed as just a joke. Witz can serve either builders or destroyers, defenders of the faith or heretics, diplomats or oafs, male chauvinists or radical feminists. Witz shows its volatility in setting up cultural, class, and gender boundaries just to smash them. Hill argues that there is something about Witz that makes it quintessential to the plight of modern culture. He views Witz as an ahistorical subject developing over time and transcending the lifespans and intentions of the authors who have written with or about it. In Der Witz, for instance, Freud thought he was describing the workings of a historical psychological process, but the material he works with betrays him. His examples twist, mock, and undermine the theories he makes about them. And though Freud wrote dismissively of it, there is a long history of Witztheorie from which his own sprang. It has a long history through which its meaning shifts many times. The very word Witz was fought over, sometimes sluggishly and between buffoons but often with a brilliance that gave it lustre.  Read more...
Rating:	(not yet rated) 0 with reviews - Be the first.
Subjects	Wit and humor -- Psychological aspects. Subconsciousness. Humour -- Aspect psychologique. View all subjects
More like this	Similar Items