This book is a comprehensive study of visual humour in ancient Greece; with special emphasis on works created in Athens and Boeotia. Alexandre G. Mitchell brings an interdisciplinary approach to this topic; combining theories and methods of art history; archaeology and classics with the anthropology of humour; and thereby establishing new ways of looking at art and visual humour in particular. Understanding what visual humour was to the ancients and how it functioned as a tool of social cohesion is only one facet of this study. Mitchell also focuses on the social truths that his study of humour unveils: democracy and freedom of expression; politics and religion; Greek vases and trends in fashion; market-driven production; proper and improper behaviour; popular versus elite culture; carnival in situ; and the place of women; foreigners; workers and labourers within the Greek city. Richly illustrated with more than 140 drawings and photographs; this study amply documents the comic representations that formed an important part of ancient Greek visual language from the sixth to the fourth centuries BC.
#3041342 in eBooks 2013-11-25 2013-11-25File Name: B00GWSXBSW
Review
4 of 6 people found the following review helpful. A bummerBy Janet L. CondinoThis is an overly scholarly book. The photos are all black and white and the text has little apparent structure. I would not recommend it.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. I purchased this book and was delighted with its contentBy Scott J. TildenI purchased this book and was delighted with its content. An excellent scholar; Tucker writes in a way accessible to all. He includes great background information like what was traded in the various regions. He makes it possible for people who have not traveled to these regions to understand their landscapes; cultures; and cities. I would have preferred color photographs but given the price of the book I understand why they are black and white;
