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Laughter in Ancient Rome

On Joking, Tickling, and Cracking Up

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About this listen

What made the Romans laugh? Was ancient Rome a carnival, filled with practical jokes and hearty chuckles? Or was it a carefully regulated culture in which the uncontrollable excess of laughter was a force to fear-a world of wit, irony, and knowing smiles? How did Romans make sense of laughter? What role did it play in the world of the law courts, the imperial palace, or the spectacles of the arena?

Laughter in Ancient Rome explores one of the most intriguing, but also trickiest, of historical subjects. Drawing on a wide range of Roman writing-from essays on rhetoric to a surviving Roman joke book-Mary Beard tracks down the giggles, smirks, and guffaws of the ancient Romans themselves. From ancient "monkey business" to the role of a chuckle in a culture of tyranny, she explores Roman humor from the hilarious, to the momentous, to the surprising. But she also reflects on even bigger historical questions. What kind of history of laughter can we possibly tell? Can we ever really "get" the Romans' jokes?

©2014 The Regents of the University of California (P)2024 Tantor Ancient Anthropology Literary History & Criticism Rome Ancient Rome Comedy Ancient History Funny Witty
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I was in need of something light and entertaining, but this book about laughter and comedy in ancient Rome os too academic

O love Mary Beard but this is a very boring book

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I would have loved it if Mary Beard had read it herself. her reading is infectious and draws you into the story. this was more of a challenge, I'm glad to be finished. there are interesting parts but I did not enjoy the performance, felt it subtracted from the book. I probably wouldn't finish if it I had to read it myself.

interesting, very academic

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The worst one of Mary B's books i have read, or rather tried to . Could not get into switched it off half way. boring !!

boring

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