Author: Christopher Rea Publisher: Univ of California Press ISBN: 0520283848 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 355
Book Description
The Age of Irreverence tells the story of why ChinaÕs entry into the modern age was not just traumatic, but uproarious. As the Qing dynasty slumped toward extinction, prominent writers compiled jokes into collections they called Òhistories of laughter.Ó In the first years of the Republic, novelists, essayists and illustrators alike used humorous allegories to make veiled critiques of the new government. But, again and again, political and cultural discussion erupted into invective, as critics gleefully jeered and derided rivals in public. Farceurs drew followings in the popular press, promoting a culture of practical joking and buffoonery. Eventually, these various expressions of hilarity proved so offensive to high-brow writers that they launched a concerted campaign to transform the tone of public discourse, hoping to displace the old forms of mirth with a new one they called youmo (humor). Christopher Rea argues that this periodÑfrom the 1890s to the 1930sÑtransformed how Chinese people thought and talked about what is funny. Focusing on five cultural expressions of laughterÑjokes, play, mockery, farce, and humorÑhe reveals the textures of comedy that were a part of everyday life during modern ChinaÕs first Òage of irreverence.Ó This new history of laughter not only offers an unprecedented and up-close look at a neglected facet of Chinese cultural modernity, but also reveals its lasting legacy in the Chinese language of the comic today and its implications for our understanding of humor as a part of human culture.
Author: Christopher Rea Publisher: Univ of California Press ISBN: 0520959590 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 356
Book Description
The Age of Irreverence tells the story of why China’s entry into the modern age was not just traumatic, but uproarious. As the Qing dynasty slumped toward extinction, prominent writers compiled jokes into collections they called "histories of laughter." In the first years of the Republic, novelists, essayists and illustrators alike used humorous allegories to make veiled critiques of the new government. But, again and again, political and cultural discussion erupted into invective, as critics gleefully jeered and derided rivals in public. Farceurs drew followings in the popular press, promoting a culture of practical joking and buffoonery. Eventually, these various expressions of hilarity proved so offensive to high-brow writers that they launched a concerted campaign to transform the tone of public discourse, hoping to displace the old forms of mirth with a new one they called youmo (humor). Christopher Rea argues that this period—from the 1890s to the 1930s—transformed how Chinese people thought and talked about what is funny. Focusing on five cultural expressions of laughter—jokes, play, mockery, farce, and humor—he reveals the textures of comedy that were a part of everyday life during modern China’s first "age of irreverence." This new history of laughter not only offers an unprecedented and up-close look at a neglected facet of Chinese cultural modernity, but also reveals its lasting legacy in the Chinese language of the comic today and its implications for our understanding of humor as a part of human culture.
Author: Nicole Seymour Publisher: U of Minnesota Press ISBN: 1452958092 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 301
Book Description
Traces a tradition of ironic and irreverent environmentalism, asking us to rethink the movement’s reputation for gloom and doom Activists today strive to educate the public about climate change, but sociologists have found that the more we know about alarming issues, the less likely we are to act. Meanwhile, environmentalists have acquired a reputation as gloom-and-doom killjoys. Bad Environmentalism identifies contemporary texts that respond to these absurdities and ironies through absurdity and irony—as well as camp, frivolity, irreverence, perversity, and playfulness. Nicole Seymour develops the concept of “bad environmentalism”: cultural thought that employs dissident affects and sensibilities to reflect critically on our current moment and on mainstream environmental activism. From the television show Wildboyz to the short film series Green Porno, Seymour shows that this tradition of thought is widespread—spanning animation, documentary, fiction film, performance art, poetry, prose fiction, social media, and stand-up comedy since at least 1975. Seymour argues that these texts reject self-righteousness and sentimentality, undercutting public negativity toward activism and questioning basic environmentalist assumptions: that love and reverence are required for ethical relationships with the nonhuman and that knowledge is key to addressing problems like climate change. Funny and original, Bad Environmentalism champions the practice of alternative green politics. From drag performance to Indigenous comedy, Seymour expands our understanding of how environmental art and activism can be pleasurable, even in a time of undeniable crisis.
Author: Shu Yang Publisher: Cornell University Press ISBN: 1501770624 Category : Social Science Languages : en Pages : 307
Book Description
Untamed Shrews traces the evolution of unruly women in Chinese literature, from the reviled "shrew" to the celebrated "new woman." Notorious for her violence, jealousy, and promiscuity, the character of the shrew personified the threat of unruly femininity to the Confucian social order and served as a justification for punishing any woman exhibiting these qualities. In this book, Shu Yang connects these shrewish qualities to symbols of female empowerment in modern China. Rather than meeting her demise, the shrew persisted, and her negative qualities became the basis for many forms of the new woman, ranging from the early Republican suffragettes and Chinese Noras, to the Communist and socialist radicals. Criticism of the shrew endured, but her vicious, sexualized, and transgressive nature became a source of pride, placing her among the ranks of liberated female models. Untamed Shrews shows that whether male writers and the state hate, fear, or love them, there will always be a place for the vitality of unruly women. Unlike in imperial times, the shrew in modern China stayed untamed as an inspiration for the new woman.
Author: Therese Bohman Publisher: Other Press, LLC ISBN: 1590518942 Category : Fiction Languages : en Pages : 230
Book Description
“Eventide is full of damn fine writing, but it’s the novel’s irreverent attitude toward feminism that makes it necessary to read.” —Los Angeles Review of Books In her forties, childless, and living alone, Karolina Andersson feels adrift after the breakup of a long relationship. An art history professor, she finds fulfillment in her work, and when she starts advising a new postgraduate student, she is struck by his confidence. He claims to have discovered new materials from a female artist working around 1900 that could change the history of Swedish visual arts. Karolina soon finds herself embroiled in a complex game with both emotional and professional consequences. Eventide is a perceptive novel of ideas about love, art, and solitude in our time, and the distorted standards to which women are held in their relationships and careers.
Author: Jennifer Adams Publisher: Gibbs Smith ISBN: 1423615387 Category : Humor Languages : en Pages : 130
Book Description
This delightfully illustrated ABC book for grown-ups offers a fresh and irreverent take on Shakespeare’s most memorable characters. The plays of William Shakespeare contain some of the most renowned characters and stories in all of literature. The perfect gift for any fan of The Bard, Y is for Yorick takes playful jabs at the unforgettable plots and people we all know and love. From Ariel (of The Tempest) to Elizabeth (of Richard III), each entry combines amusing illustrations with tongue-in-cheek captions about each character.
Author: Plato Publisher: Good Press ISBN: Category : Philosophy Languages : en Pages : 3802
Book Description
This carefully crafted ebook: "Plato: The Complete Works" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. Plato (428/427 BC - 348/347 BC) was a philosopher in Classical Greece. He was also a mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the foundations of Western philosophy and science. Table of contents: Early works: Apology Crito Charmides Euthyphro First Alcibiades Greater Hippias Lesser Hippias Ion Laches Lysis Middle works: Cratylus Euthydemus Gorgias Menexenus Meno Phaedo Protagoras Symposium Republic Phaedrus Parmenides Theaetetus Late works: Timaeus Critias Sophist Statesman Philebus Laws Pseudonymous works (traditionally attributed to Plato, but considered by virtually all modern authorities not to have been written by him): Epinomis Second Alcibiades Hipparcus Rival Lovers Theages Cleitophon Minos Demoducus Axiochus On Justice On Virtue Sisyphus Eryxias Halcyon Letters There are also included a number of essays relating to various aspects of Plato's works.
Author: Daniel Derrin Publisher: Springer Nature ISBN: 3030566463 Category : History Languages : en Pages : 538
Book Description
This handbook addresses the methodological problems and theoretical challenges that arise in attempting to understand and represent humour in specific historical contexts across cultural history. It explores problems involved in applying modern theories of humour to historically-distant contexts of humour and points to the importance of recognising the divergent assumptions made by different academic disciplines when approaching the topic. It explores problems of terminology, identification, classification, subjectivity of viewpoint, and the coherence of the object of study. It addresses specific theories, together with the needs of specific historical case-studies, as well as some of the challenges of presenting historical humour to contemporary audiences through translation and curation. In this way, the handbook aims to encourage a fresh exploration of methodological problems involved in studying the various significances both of the history of humour and of humour in history.
Author: Gianfranco Cecchin Publisher: Routledge ISBN: 042991525X Category : Psychology Languages : en Pages : 96
Book Description
Irreverence: A strategy for Therapists' Survival marks the end result of a collaboration between the creative and highly respected therapists and writers in the family therapy field. It continues the tradition of the Milan group and later systemic thinkers to examine the way a therapist's own thinking can block the process of therapy and lead to feeling stuck. The authors define and demonstrate the use of a concept in the therapeutic field: Irreverence, which allows therapists to free themselves from the limitations of their own theoretical schools of thought and the familiar hypotheses they apply to their client families. They illustrate their ideas with some very challenging family therapy cases, such as violence and incest, and include an interesting consultation with the staff caring for a hospitalized patient. The book also extends the notion of irreverence beyond therapy to the fields of training and research where its application is both fresh and profound.
Author: Christopher Rea
Author: Christopher Rea
Author: Nicole Seymour
Author: Shu Yang
Author: Therese Bohman
Author: Jennifer Adams
Author: B. Jowett
Author: Plato
Author: Daniel Derrin
Author: Gianfranco Cecchin