Practically Joking (Paperback)

Moira Marsh

ISBN 10: 0874219833 / ISBN 13: 9780874219838

Published by Utah State University Press, Logan, 2015

About this Item

Paperback. In Practically Joking, the first full-length study of the practical joke, Moira Marsh examines the value, artistry, and social significance of this ancient and pervasive form of vernacular expression. Though they are sometimes dismissed as the lowest form of humor, practical jokes come from a lively tradition of expressive play. They can reveal both sophistication and intellectual satisfaction, with the best demanding significant skill and talent not only to conceive but also to execute. Practically Joking establishes the practical joke as a folk art form subject to critical evaluation by both practitioners and audiences, operating under the guidance of local aesthetic and ethical canons. Marsh studies the range of genres that pranks comprise; offers a theoretical look at the reception of practical jokes based on "benign transgression"-a theory that sees humor as playful violation-and uses real-life examples of practical jokes in context to establish the form's varieties and meanings as an independent genre, as well as its inextricable relationship with a range of folklore forms. Scholars of folklore, humor, and popular culture will find much of interest in Practically Joking. "In Practically Joking, the first full-length study of the practical joke, Moira Marsh examines the value, artistry, and social significance of this ancient and pervasive form of vernacular art. Though it is sometimes dismissed as the lowest form of humor, the practical joke comes from a lively tradition of expressive play." -- Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9780874219838

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Practically Joking (Paperback)
• Publisher: Utah State University Press, Logan
• Publication Date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0874219833
• ISBN 13: 9780874219838
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

In Practically Joking, the first full-length study of the practical joke, Moira Marsh examines the value, artistry, and social significance of this ancient and pervasive form of vernacular expression.

Though they are sometimes dismissed as the lowest form of humor, practical jokes come from a lively tradition of expressive play. They can reveal both sophistication and intellectual satisfaction, with the best demanding significant skill and talent not only to conceive but also to execute. Practically Joking establishes the practical joke as a folk art form subject to critical evaluation by both practitioners and audiences, operating under the guidance of local aesthetic and ethical canons.

Marsh studies the range of genres that pranks comprise; offers a theoretical look at the reception of practical jokes based on “benign transgression”—a theory that sees humor as playful violation—and uses real-life examples of practical jokes in context to establish the form’s varieties and meanings as an independent genre, as well as its inextricable relationship with a range of folklore forms. Scholars of folklore, humor, and popular culture will find much of interest in Practically Joking.

About the Author

Moira Marsh is the subject librarian for anthropology, sociology, folklore, and comparative literature at the Indiana University Bloomington Libraries. She holds a PhD in folklore from Indiana University, and her research on practical jokes, cross-cultural approaches to laughter, and humor theory has been published in folklore journals, textbooks, and encyclopedias.