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1,000 Years of Laughter
- An Anthology of Classic Comic Prose
- Narrated by: Griff Rhys Jones, Carole Boyd, Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 4 hrs and 59 mins
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1,000 Years of Laughter
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Editor reviews
This collection is amazing. It isn’t always funny because in a thousand years standards of humor have changed drastically and topical puns from even a hundred years ago have aged badly. But when it is funny, it’s fantastic. David Timson’s selections are masterful, including everyone from Dickens to Wodehouse and Parker. The cast brings them fully to life, handling even the pauses and over accenting of syllables it takes to make some puns work, and switching accents from Twain’s frontier English to Wodehouse’s British. With selections from children’s literature (The Wind in the Willows), wonderful nonsense (Alice in Wonderland), and satire, this anthology spans Anglo-American civilization, offering something for everyone.
Summary
Laughter is unique to man. This delightful anthology presents some of the funniest extracts in English literature. It opens with Anglo-Saxon riddles and continues with medieval memories, Tudor comic turns, and Restoration buffoonery.
The rise of the novel in the 18th century brought classic humour from Swift, Sterne, and Smollet, passing the mantle to Charles Dickens in the 19th century. Included here are rarities from the antiquarian's cupboard. Children's literature produced unforgettable images from Wind in the Willows and Alice in Wonderland, while in the first half of the 20th century emerged unforgettable comic writers as diverse as Dorothy Parker and P.G. Wodehouse. Entertaining from start to finish.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.