Laughter in ancient Rome : on joking, tickling, and cracking up

336 Pages·2014·7.95 MB·English

by  Beard

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The publisher gratefully acknowledges the generous
contribution to this book provided by the Jane K. Sather
Professorship in Classical Literature Fund.
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sather classical lectures
Volume Seventy-One
Laughter in Ancient Rome
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Laughter in Ancient Rome
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Laughter in
Ancient Rome
On Joking, Tickling, and Cracking Up
Mary Beard
university of california press
Berkeley • Los Angeles • London
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University of California Press, one of the most
distinguished university presses in the United States,
enriches lives around the world by advancing scholarship
in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. Its
activities are supported by the UC Press Foundation and
by philanthropic contributions from individuals and
institutions. For more information, visit www.ucpress.edu.
University of California Press
Oakland, California
© 2014 by The Regents of the University of California
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Beard, Mary.
Laughter in ancient Rome : on joking, tickling, and
cracking up / Mary Beard.
p. cm. — (Sather classical lectures ; volume
seventy-one)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-0-520-27716-8 (cloth, alk. paper) —
isbn 978-0-520-95820-3 (electronic)
1. Laughter—Rome—History—To 1500. 2. Latin
wit and humor—History and criticism. 3. Rome—
Social life and customs. I. Title.
BF575.L3B38 2014
152.4′30937—dc23 2013040999
Manufactured in the United States of America
23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
In keeping with a commitment to support
environmentally responsible and sustainable printing
practices, UC Press has printed this book on Natures
Natural, a fi ber that contains 30% post-consumer waste
and meets the minimum requirements of ansi/niso
z39.48-1992 (r 1997) (Permanence of Paper).
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Contents
Preface ix
1. Introducing Roman Laughter: Dio’s “Giggle” and
Gnatho’s Two Laughs 1
part one
2. Questions of Laughter, Ancient and Modern 23
3. The History of Laughter 49
4. Roman Laughter in Latin and Greek 70
part two
5. The Orator 99
6. From Emperor to Jester 128
7. Between Human and Animal—Especially Monkeys
and Asses 156
8. The Laughter Lover 185
Afterword 211
Acknowledgments 215
Texts and Abbreviations 217
Notes 219
References 277
List of Illustrations and Credits 301
Index 303
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