Synopses & Reviews
Review
"This book performs a much-needed service in its first chapter by lucidly summing up and putting into perspective most of the important theories of comedy. Professor Gurewitch refuses to commit himself to any one theory or definition, preferring to think of comedy as a 'miscellaneous genre activated by a plurality of impulses: farce, humor, satire, irony.' He discusses each of these impulses in a separate chapter, drawing on an impressive knowledge of the world's comic literature for his illustrations. The four impulses, one often feels, should be more precisely defined; but the author's dedication to puncturing inflated generalizations about comedy, and the zest with which he proceeds, make this one of the most rewarding and entertaining books on the comic in recent years." Reviewed by Daniel Weiss, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)