Humour is not the opposite of seriousness, nor is it inherently light-hearted. Above all, humour is seldom utterly and patently innocent. Indeed, humour and cruelty can be said to be bedfellows: odd ones, arguably, yet bedfellows nonetheless, even if we generally prefer to underplay or ignore this perplexing fact — just like we frequently shut our eyes before all kinds of inconvenient truths, convenient lies, and ordinary cruelties.
Explore related booksThe literary and comedic works presented to the public are comic without being childish. They are written for mature audiences who expect humour to be able to unsettle, spur insight and reflection, clarify as well as complexify, and reject all easy, habit-driven consolations, crazes, and conceits — especially those that we cherish the most. What is more, Punch and Judy can be surprising, if not amusing, fountains of wisdom.
Explore related booksFolly is not merely a pathological defect of intelligence, but also a recurring feature of human conducts and communities. It is often turned into institutions and even celebrated, praised as highly ethical, and embraced as an obvious component of the social status quo. All of this makes satirical and comedic writings apt instruments for keen diagnoses about the state of contemporary cultures, politics, economies, and morals.
Explore related booksFragments, parodies, and allegories can do intellectual and affective work that standard discursive prose cannot even commence. Such literary and comedic strategies allow philosophy to dig deep while also moving sideways — by way of yarns, interruptions, ribs, digressions, ironies, sheer awkwardness, puns, dreams, caricatures, aphorisms, bestiaries, grotesqueries, and, above all, a gargantuan cornucopia of jokes of all sorts.
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