Looking at Laughter : Humor, Power, and Transgression in Roman Visual Culture, 100 B.C.-A.D. 250

by: Clarke, J.R.

Price: 195,00 EURO

1 copy in stock

Looking at laughter : humor, power, and transgression in Roman visual culture, 100 B.C.-A.D. 250
Author:John R. Clarke

In this fresh, accessible, and beautifully illustrated book, his third to examine an aspect of Roman visual culture, John R. Clarke explores the question, "What made Romans laugh?" Looking at Laughter examines a heterogeneous corpus of visual material, from the crudely obscene to the exquisitely sophisticated and from the playful to the deadly serious--everything from street theater to erudite paintings parodying the emperor. Nine chapters, organized under the rubrics of Visual Humor, Social Humor, and Sexual Humor, analyze a wide range of visual art, including wall painting, sculpture, mosaics, and ceramics. Archaeological sites, as well as a range of ancient texts, inscriptions, and graffiti, provide the background for understanding the how and why of humorous imagery. This entertaining study offers fascinating insights into the mentality of Roman patrons and viewers who enjoyed laughing at the gods, the powers-that-be, and themselves

Contents:
pt. 1. Visual humor. Words or images? Degrees of visuality in Roman humor ; Funny faces -onstage and off ; Double takes ; Apotropaic laughter
pt. 2. Social humor. Power over the other
or the other's power? Laughing at the Pygmy and the Aethiops ; Who's laughing? Modern scholars and ancient viewers in class conflict ; Parody in elite visual culture at Pompeii: heroes, gods, and foundation myths
pt. 3. Sexual humor. Sexual humor and the gods ; Laughing at human sexual folly

Subjects:
Art, Roman
Arts romains
Arts, Roman
Classical wit and humor
Geschichte 100 v. Chr.-250
Humor
Humour ancien
Humour dans l'art
Kunst
Laughter
Laughter Rome
Rire Rome
Rome (Empire)
Römisches Reich
Wit and humor in art
Wit and humor, Ancient

Series:
Ahmanson Murphy fine arts imprint

xi, 321 pages, 24 pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 26 cm

Looking at Laughter : Humor, Power, and Transgression in Roman Visual Culture, 100 B.C.-A.D. 250

by: Clarke, J.R.

• ISBN-13: 9780520237339 / 978-0-520-23733-9
• ISBN-03: 0520237331 / 0-520-23733-1
• University of California Press, Berkeley, 2007

Price: 195,00 EURO

1 copy in stock