Humorinamerica
MY BLOGS
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Humor in America
http://humorinamerica.wordpress.com/
“Humor in America” (HA!) is a blog dedicated to the discussion of humor and humor studies in America. Authors retain copyright to their work as posted. *********************************************************** "The great virtue of humor is that it is philosophizing in action, a bright silver thread in the great duvet of existence. And one can easily engage in it for an hour or two every day." --Simon Critchley, On Humour
LATEST ARTICLES ( 325 )
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The Truth and Consequences of Trivializing Humor
In a letter to Mary Fairbanks in 1869, Mark Twain referred to his “calling” to literature as a low one—humor. Authors Van Wyck Brooks, Bernard Devoto, and many... Read more
Posted on 20 October 2014 HUMOR, SOCIETY -
Psycho! – Music and Manipulation in Hitchcock’s Great Comedy
Psycho has a very interesting construction and that game with the audience was fascinating. I was directing the viewers. You might say I was playing them, like... Read more
Posted on 16 October 2014 HUMOR, SOCIETY -
Voter ID Laws and the Question of Political Satire
::Today is the last day to register to vote in Texas. Check your status and vote. Originally posted on Humor in America: Tracy Wuster Most of the time,... Read more
Posted on 06 October 2014 HUMOR, SOCIETY -
Happy Birthday Wallace Stevens!
Wallace Stevens, 1879-1955Disillusionment of Ten O’Clock The houses are haunted By white night-gowns. None are green, Or purple with green rings, Or green with... Read more
Posted on 02 October 2014 HUMOR, SOCIETY -
Joker Poe, Part 5: The Jingle Man
“Ha! ha! ha! – he! he! – a very good joke indeed – an excellent jest. We will have many a rich laugh about it at the palazzo – he! he! he! – over our wine –... Read more
Posted on 22 September 2014 HUMOR, SOCIETY -
Bill Murray: All the World’s His Stage
Bill Murray may be the coolest living celebrity. This is due in large part to his very approach to celebrity. Murray is one of the few movie stars that is able... Read more
Posted on 18 September 2014 HUMOR, SOCIETY -
Work/Life Divide
I was talking with a colleague recently about the hard transition from the easy, lazy, unscheduled days of summer to the overbooked, cramped, and face-paced fal... Read more
Posted on 16 September 2014 HUMOR, SOCIETY -
Fun with Phyllis McGinley
Phyllis McGinley 1905 – 1978Phyllis McGinley was a Pulitzer Prize winning author of children’s books and light verse. She was wildly popular during the... Read more
Posted on 11 September 2014 HUMOR, SOCIETY -
All Joking Aside: An Interview with Rebecca Krefting on Her New Book (with an...
Tracy Wuster I have been excited for Rebecca Krefting’s All Joking Aside (out now through Johns Hopkins University Press) to come out since hearing her present... Read more
Posted on 08 September 2014 HUMOR, SOCIETY -
Cracking the Codes of Comedy: On the Anatomy of Jokes, Part 2
Last month I explored the anatomy of jokes by looking simple joke forms, “light-bulb jokes” in particular, in the ongoing context of applying the scientific... Read more
Posted on 01 September 2014 HUMOR, SOCIETY -
Adult Humor in Unexpected Places: Happy Birthday, LBJ and Pee Wee Herman!
Tracy Wuster“When I was a kid my parents moved a lot, but I always found them.” ― Rodney Dangerfield A summer dominated by moving–with a baby–has ended. Read more
Posted on 27 August 2014 HUMOR, SOCIETY -
Cole Porter and the Gods of Gossamer
There’s no love song finer But how strange The change From major to minor Ev’ry time we say goodbye.The strange change from major to minor runs throughout Cole... Read more
Posted on 21 August 2014 HUMOR, SOCIETY -
What’s With College Sports Nicknames?
The controversy over the Washington franchise of the National Football League using “Redskins” as its moniker has prompted me to think about college nicknames... Read more
Posted on 18 August 2014 HUMOR, SOCIETY -
What Will Your Verse Be?
Today’s humorous poetry post is pre-empted to bring you a scene from the film, “Dead Poet’s Society.”Robin Williams 1951 – 2014 Read more
Posted on 14 August 2014 HUMOR, SOCIETY -
Calling All Social Critics and Comedians!
As I finalize my selections for a course on American Counterculture from the 1960s to present day, I slyly grin at the allotment of time dedicated to the late... Read more
Posted on 31 July 2014 HUMOR, SOCIETY -
Joker Poe, Part 4: The Critic’s Laughter
In this series thus far, I have discussed the ways in which Edgar Allan Poe is perhaps best viewed as a literary prankster or practical joker. Read more
Posted on 28 July 2014 HUMOR, SOCIETY -
Cracking the Codes of Comedy: On the Anatomy of Jokes, Part 1
Why did the chicken cross the road?What is your favorite joke? Do you know why it works for you?In answering the first question, many people have clear, definit... Read more
Posted on 24 July 2014 HUMOR, SOCIETY -
Nanu Nanu: Mork & Mindy & Robin Williams, 35 Years Later
::Happy Birthday, Robin Williams. Originally posted on Humor in America: Alex Smith He’s either one of your favorite actor-comedians or one of your least... Read more
Posted on 21 July 2014 HUMOR, SOCIETY -
Laura Who? A Study of Lost Cats and Missing Persons
::A classic. Originally posted on Humor in America: For reasons that are uninteresting and irrelevant, I recently had my photograph taken. I was kind of joking... Read more
Posted on 18 July 2014 HUMOR, SOCIETY -
Using Political Cartoons in History Instruction
If you are a college instructor as I am, the last thing you need is someone advising you of yet another strategy for enhancing your lessons. Read more
Posted on 14 July 2014 HUMOR, SOCIETY