{"product_id":"laughter-power-and-the-unconscious","title":"Laughter, Power, and the Unconscious","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eLaughter, Power, and the Unconscious\u003c\/i\u003e offers paradigm-breaking insights into the psychological and sociopolitical dimensions of humour and comedy. Based on an innovative audience experiment at Shakespeare's Globe, the authors develop a revolutionary theory of humour as manic defence, challenging Freud's classic formulations while engaging with contemporary humour theories.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe text explores three key domains: firstly, it establishes and evaluates the theory in comparison to Freud's work in \u003ci\u003eJokes and their Relation to the Unconscious\u003c\/i\u003e, while positioning it within major humour frameworks; secondly, it demonstrates the theory's application to Renaissance comedy, examining characters like Malvolio from \u003ci\u003eTwelfth Night\u003c\/i\u003e alongside stock figures of cuckolds and madmen in both English theatrical traditions and \u003ci\u003ecommedia dell'arte\u003c\/i\u003e; finally, it investigates the theory's broader sociopolitical relevance by analysing war-related humour and racist jokes while addressing comedy's dual capacity to both challenge and reinforce existing power structures.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis volume will appeal to the scholars and students of theatre and performance studies, psychology, literary theory and cultural studies interested in the sociopolitical implications of humour.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Taylor \u0026 Francis Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55024199729496,"sku":"9780367633172","price":192.2,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0278\/1295\/4195\/files\/9780367633172.jpg?v=1770349545","url":"https:\/\/agendabookshop.com\/products\/laughter-power-and-the-unconscious","provider":"Agenda Bookshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}