Laughter and Ridicule: Towards a Social Critique of Humour

Introduction A Critique of Positive Humour PART ONE: HISTORICAL ASPECTS Superiority Theories Hobbes and other Misogelasts Incongruity Theories and Gentlemanly Laughter Victorian Relief Theory Bergson and the Function of Humour Freud and the Hidden Secrets of Jokes PART TWO: THEORETICAL ASPECTS Laughter and Unlaughter Embarrassment, Humour and the Social Order Final Remarks