Slapstick and Comic Performance Comedy and Pain [Hardcover]

Slapstick comedy has a long and lively history from Greek Theatre to the present day. This book explores the ways in which comic pain and comic violence are performed within slapstick to make the audience laugh. It draws examples from theatre, television and film on both sides of the Atlantic.Introduction PART I: ESTABLISHING A CRITICAL FRAMEWORK 1. What is Slapstick? 2. Structures and Techniques of Slapstick 3. Comedy and Pain PART II: TYPES OF PAIN ANALYSED 4. Accidental Pain 5. Random Pain: Objects and Animals 6. Intentional Pain 7. Real Pain Conclusion Bibliography Index

Her book examines the types of pain that can be greeted with uproarious mirth by perfectly sane and kindly audiences, both children and adults. Its definitive analysis shows the matter to be far from simple. In the context of slapstick, important distinctions emerge between accidental, random, intentional and real pain inflicted for amusement and these are carefully defined. & a splendidly constructive analysis of an important but often ignored topic in humor research. (Jessica Milner Davis, Humor, Vol. 31 (03), August, 2018)

Louise Peacock is a Senior Lecturer in Drama and Theatre Practice at the University of Hull, UK, where she teaches a range of courses related to comedy in popular performance. She is the author of Serious Play: Modern Clown Performance.

This is a very ambitious book, which considers a range of examples anything from Punch & Judy to Jackass , from Buster Keaton to The Simpsons woven together to form an illuminating set of ideas offering new insight into the delicious art of slapstick. - Oliver Double, University of Kent, UK