THE AGE OF IRREVERENCE: A New History of Laughter in China
Berkeley: University of California Press, 2015. First Edition. Hardcover. Presentation copy, inscribed by Christopher Rea to Eric Idle, who is quoted on the rear panel of the dust jacket.
From the library of revered English actor, comedian, musician, and writer Eric Idle, accompanied by a letter of provenance. Idle (b.1943) is a founding member of the British comedy troupe Monty Python, as well as the parody rock group The Rutles, and is the writer of the music and lyrics for the hit Broadway musical Spamalot.
In this work, "Christopher Rea argues that this period - from the 1890s to the 1930s - transformed how Chinese people thought and talked about what is funny. Focusing on five cultural expressions of laughter - jokes, play, mockery, farce, and humor - he reveals the textures of comedy that were a part of everyday life during modern China’s first 'age of irreverence.' This new history of laughter not only offers an unprecedented and up-close look at a neglected facet of Chinese cultural modernity, but also reveals its lasting legacy in the Chinese language of the comic today and its implications for our understanding of humor as a part of human culture." Octavo: [ii], xvi, 335, [3] pp. with textual illustrations. A fine copy in a near fine dust jacket with some very light edgewear. Fine / Near fine. Item #78783
ISBN: 9780520283848
Price: $125.00