Search

This collection explores the impact of Covid-19 on the production and consumption of television and film content in the English-speaking world. Offering in-depth analysis of select on-screen entertainment, the volume addresses entertainment's changing role during and following the Covid-19 pandemic. It also studies the pandemic's incorporation into the narrative of numerous series, films, and other televised formats, capturing the moments and contexts in which these developments emerged. Chapters examine the pandemic's impact both on a micro- and macro level, focusing on the content as well as form of TV shows and films. Bringing together an international team of scholars, the book offers a range of perspectives, exploring phenomena such as the ‘YouTubification'of audience-reliant late-night television, as well as films and TV shows such as Superstore, Grey's Anatomy, and The Good Fight.Given the pandemic's lasting impact on the film and television industries, this book will be a valuable read for scholars studying audience and viewer reception of on-screen content, and the impact of crises on cultural industries. It will also appeal to researchers in cultural studies, popular culture studies, television studies, internet studies, film studies, and media studies more broadly.

The practice of medicine is immersed in issues of life, death, and suffering in relation to the mortal body. Because of this, the medical profession is a fertile arena for folklore that serves to address these topics among physicians.In The Medical Carnivalesque, Lisa Gabbert argues that this extraordinarily difficult work context has led to the development of an occupational corpus of folklore, backstage talk, and humor that she calls the medical carnivalesque. Gabbert argues that suffering is not only something experienced by patients, but that the organization, practice, and ethos of medicine can induce suffering in physicians themselves. Featuring topics such as the institutionalized nature of physician suffering, death-related humor and talk, stories about patient bodies, and parodies of medical specialties, The Medical Carnivalesque shows us how the culture of contemporary medicine uses travesty, humor, and inversion to address the sometimes painful and often transgressive aspects of doctoring. The Medical Carnivalesque connects patient and physician suffering to laughter; acknowledges suffering as an essential component of life; and constitutes a way in which some physicians address the core philosophical and existential issues with which they regularly engage as they go about their daily work.

This book looks at the political aspects of comedy and how humor is shaped by unconscious social and psychological factors within a particular cultural and historical context. Updating Freud's work on jokes, Robert Samuels argues that any universal model of comedy must take into account the role played by distinct genres, which are themselves determined by particular political psychopathologies. In looking at contemporary comedy, we encounter a structure that is often seen throughout the world: in response to what is experienced as a Leftist super-ego censoring thoughts and speech and a Libertarian Right which promotes free speech as the ultimate value. Within this dynamic, comedians seeking to make their audience laugh by poking fun at sensitive and taboo subjects, intentionally and unintentionally, these humorists present an alternative to Left-wing political correctness and identity politics. Contemporary comedians then cannot help but to cater to Right-wing politics since the Right is centered on loudly rejecting the cultural dictations of the Left.

The Ethics of Animal Beauty provides a novel account of the aesthetics of animals and explores the ethical implications of recognizing and admiring their beauty. Samantha Vice argues that animation, the aesthetic property of being an individual with a subjective perspective on the world, is fundamental to any meaningful appreciation of animal beauty. If we properly appreciate animation, we are called on to respond to animals with respect, care, gratitude and wonder. Applying this idea to contemporary practices such as trophy hunting and taxidermy and to our lived relationships with (domestic) companion animals, Vice argues that the appreciation of animal beauty carries profound ethical consequences for our relations to our fellow creatures. This perspective bears on questions of animal rights and ecocritical debates, while also contributing to key discussions in aesthetics and its relation to moral imperatives.

A classic resource on feminist theory, this updated sixth edition of Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction offers a clear, comprehensive, and incisive introduction to the major traditions of feminist theory.This new edition explores in detail the wide spectrum of feminist thought, from liberal feminism, radical feminism, Marxist and socialist feminisms, women-of-color feminisms, global, postcolonial, and transnational feminisms, to psychoanalytic feminism, care-focused and maternal-focused feminisms, to ecofeminism, existentialist, poststructural, and postmodern feminisms. The book also includes an expanded discussion of third-wave, fourth-wave, and fifth-wave feminisms, plus much new material on intersectionality, LGBTQ+ issues, gender identities, sexual orientations, and queer theory.Learning tools like end-of-chapter discussion questions and an enhanced, up-to-date bibliography make Feminist Thought an essential resource for students and thinkers who want to understand the theoretical origins and complexities of contemporary feminist debates.

Much philosophical work on pop culture apologises for its use; using popular culture is a necessary evil, something merely useful for reaching the masses with important philosophical arguments. But works of pop culture are important in their own right--they shape worldviews, inspire ideas, change minds. We wouldn't baulk at a book dedicated to examining the philosophy of The Great Gatsby or 1984--why aren't Star Trek and Superman fair game as well? After all, when produced, the former were considered pop culture just as much as the latter. This will be the first major reference work to right that wrong, gathering together entries on film, television, games, graphic novels and comedy, and officially recognizing the importance of the field. It will be the go-to resource for students and researchers in philosophy, culture, media and communications, English and history and will act as a springboard to introduce the reader to the other key literature inthe field.

Working Women on Screen: Paid Labour and Fourth Wave Feminism critically examines screen media representations of women's participation in the contemporary labour market. The edited collection brings together contributions on Aesthetic Labour; Power, Politics, and Neoliberal Industries; and Sex, Sexuality, and Relationships.Within the context of fourth wave feminism, there has been a new proliferation in the global media landscape of representations of women's paid labour. This has coincided with the development of critical and ideological issues surrounding intersectionality and culture wars, as well as the impacts of recessions, political upheavals, and pandemics. Workplace dynamics and post-#MeToo politics have led to the complexification of structures, oppressions and relationships that impact what women can do for money. As a result, the “working woman” is now a constant presence on our screens, though articulated in widely divergent ways. The chapters within this collection critique issues that are deeply embedded in neoliberal conceptions of contemporary feminism, such as aspects of “lean-in” culture, structural oppression, and women's experiences of the “glass ceiling” and “glass cliff”.The volume as a whole will analyse representations related to the intersecting dynamics of gender, race, class, sexuality, and disability in television, film, social media and video games. It will be key reading for students and scholars in media, gender, and cultural studies.

The inclusion of this volume in Brill's Transcultural Aesthetics, a book series devoted primarily to multidisciplinary Western and non-Western aesthetics, is indispensable to enrich the nature and scope of contemporary aesthetics. Time and again, many aesthetic controversies have not been adequately addressed, and this has become a common concern among scholars in contemporary aesthetics. This volume therefore seeks to contribute new perspectives to these controversies by shedding light on some of the fresh views among the leading theorists working in the field today.

Outer Origin examines the individual, social, and spiritual implications of ectogenesis, also known as artificial womb technology. Formerly considered the topic of science fiction, such devices are currently being developed and will soon be a medical reality. This book offers readers information on the status of this technology and considers the ways in which it may one day fully replace human gestation. Ectogenesis has previously been assessed with the future child in mind, but this book, instead, envisions what it might mean for women. It explores the value of pregnancy and childbirth in the twenty-first century and questions the notion that artificial wombs will lead to full equality of the sexes. Outer Origin seeks to elevate the maternal experience by reflecting on the meaning of reproductive technology in our lives. People everywhere must ponder the significance of what has heretofore been their most common link--shared natality and birth. If not, Homo sapiens will enter a deep dive into the unknown--that of not being of woman born.

This handbook offers a comprehensive survey of the growing field of literary age studies and points to new directions in scholarly research. Divided into four sections, the volume reflects the current conversations in the field: intersections and intersectionalities, traveling concepts, methodological innovations, and archival inquiries. It encompasses the spectrum of critical approaches that literary age studies scholars employ, from environmental studies and postcolonial theory to critical race theory and queer studies. While close reading continues to be a mainstay of literary criticism, the handbook highlights alternative tools and routes in both data elicitation and analysis. The final part of the book shows the burgeoning interest in the field from literary scholars across historical periods, extending the scope of literary age studies beyond contemporary texts. This is an essential reference work for advanced students and scholars of literary studies, gerontology, age/aging studies, interdisciplinary studies and cultural studies.

LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION • From the acclaimed author of Losing Eden (“Powerful, beautifully written”—Anthony Doerr) an important, moving, passionate and passionately written inquiry—personal and scientific—into what happens—mentally, spiritually, physically, during the process of becoming a mother, from pregnancy and childbirth to early motherhood and what this profound process tells us about the way we live now.“I read your book, or more accurately devoured it! Loved it... It will be the new classic text in Motherhood Studies.” -Andrea O'Reilly, founder, Motherhood Studies“The best book I've ever read about motherhood. Matrescence is essential reading, bloody and alive, roaring and ready to change conversations.” –Jude Rogers, The Observer (UK) In this important and ground-breaking, deeply personal investigation, Jones writes of the emerging concept of “matrescence” – the wholeness of becoming a mother.Drawing on her own experiences of twice becoming a mother, as well as exploring the latest research in the fields of neuroscience and evolutionary biology; psychoanalysis and existential therapy; sociology, economics and ecology, Jones writes of the physical and emotional changes in the maternal mind, body, and spirit and shows us how these changes are far more profound, wild, and enduring than have been previously explored or written about.Part memoir, part scientific and health reporting, part social critique, ecological philosophy, eco-feminism and nature writing, Matrescence is a kind of whodunnit, ferreting out with the most nuanced, searing and honest observations, why mothers throughout this heightened transition are at a breaking point, and what the institution of intensive, isolated motherhood can tell us about our still-dominant social and cultural myths.“Jones seems to come as close as it's possible to describing this indescribable moment in a woman's life.” –Joanna Pocock, The Spectator (UK)

Das Anthropozän – die durch den Menschen und sein Tun begründete Erdepoche – stellt für die Wissenschaften eine interdisziplinäre Herausforderung dar: Nur in Kooperation verschiedener Kulturen, Wissensbereiche, Kunstformen und Denkrichtungen können wir angemessene Lösungen für die Zukunft formulieren. In 20 Beiträgen bringen die Autor•innen die vielfältigen Perspektiven der Natur-, Sozial- und Geisteswissenschaften zusammen: mit Beiträgen zur Gegenwartskunst in Brasilien oder zur indigenen Lyrik des kolumbianischen Autors Hugo Jamioy Juagibioys bis hin zu Beiträgen zu den Biosphärenreservaten im Alpenraum und zu Mülldeponien in Argentinien.

The Beatles are known for cheeky punchlines, but understanding their humor goes beyond laughing at John Lennon's memorable “rattle your jewelry” dig at the Royal Variety Performance in 1963. From the beginning, the Beatles'music was full of wordplay and winks, guided by comedic influences ranging from rhythm and blues, British radio, and the Liverpool pub scene. Gifted with timing and deadpan wit, the band habitually relied on irony, sarcasm, and nonsense. Early jokes revealed an aptitude for improvisation and self-awareness, techniques honed throughout the 1960s and into solo careers. Experts in the art of play, including musical experimentation, the Beatles'shared sense of humor is a key ingredient to their appeal during the 1960s-and to their endurance.The Beatles and Humour offers innovative takes on the serious art of Beatle fun, an instrument of social, political, and economic critique. Chapters also situate the band alongside British and non-British predecessors and collaborators, such as Billy Preston and Yoko Ono, uncovering diverse components and unexpected effects of the Beatles'output.

This volume investigates the mechanisms and psychosocial aspects of humour related to specialised work environments, and foregrounds its role as one of the building blocks that shape the discourse, culture and identity of specialised communities. Through a cross-disciplinary approach, the book brings together an international team of authors using state-of-the art research to analyse the varieties, characteristics and functions of humour in and across a wide range of specialised fields, including law, policing, banking, marketing, and mental health, among many others. English for specific purposes (ESP) researchers will appreciate the rich, multi-faceted explorations of the volume and the new insights it offers with regard to various fields of investigation. ESP teachers and learners will find the abundant examples of specialised workplace humour a valuable teaching and learning support to help access the ethos of specialised domains and enrich, and stimulate the dynamics of classroom practices.

Aesthetics: 50 Puzzles, Paradoxes, and Thought Experiments is a teaching-focused resource, which highlights the contributions that imaginative scenarios—paradoxes, puzzles, and thought experiments alike—have made to the development of contemporary analytic aesthetics. The book is divided into sections pertaining to art-making, ontology, aesthetic judgements, appreciation and interpretation, and ethics and value, and offers an accessible summary of ten debates falling under each section. Each entry also features a detailed annotated bibliography, making it an ideal companion for courses surveying a broad collection of topics and readings in aesthetics.Key Features: Uses a problem-centered approach to aesthetics (rather than author- or theory-centered) making the text more inviting to first-time students of the subject Offers stand-alone chapters, allowing students to quickly understand an issue and giving instructors flexibility in assigning readings to match the themes of the course Provides up-to-date, annotated bibliographies at the end of each entry, amounting to an extensive review of the literature on contemporary analytic aesthetics

This book explores closely related aspects of the historical study of humour. It challenges much that has been taken for granted in a field of study for which history has been marginal. It disputes the conventional genealogical view that humour theory dates from antiquity and outlines an alternative conceptual history. It critically examines the nostrum that humour is universal. It then explores the methodological difficulties in treating both verbal and non-verbal humour historically, dealing with contextualisation, intentionality, translation and reception. It explores the variable relationships between satire and definition and concludes with a detailed case study from recent history: the iconic Yes Minister and Yes, Prime Minister television comedies. These are commonly seen as realistic, but better understood as presenting popularised theories for satiric and propagandistic effect. Only in their treatment of language can we assess a putative political realism. The satires are often highly perceptive but largely dependent on misleading and inadequate theories of political discourse.Conal Condren is an Emeritus Scientia Professor at UNSW, a member of two Cambridge Colleges and a fellow both of the Australian Academy of the Humanities and The Social Sciences in Australia. He has published widely and principally in early modern intellectual history. Among his books are The Status and Appraisal of Classic Texts; Argument and Authority in Early Modern England; Political Vocabularies: Word Change and the Nature of Politics.

Many of us feel a pressing desire to be different—to be other than who we are. Self-conscious, we anxiously perceive our shortcomings or insufficiencies, wondering why we are how we are and whether we might be different. Often, we wish to alter ourselves, to change our relationships, and to transform the person we are in those relationships. Not only a philosophical question about how other people change, self-alteration is also a practical care—can I change, and how? Self-Alteration: How People Change Themselves across Cultures explores and analyzes these apparently universal hopes and their related existential dilemmas. The essays here come at the subject of the self and its becoming through case studies of modes of transformation of the self. They do this with social processes and projects that reveal how the self acquires a non-trivial new meaning in and through its very process of alteration. By focusing on ways we are allowed to change ourselves, including through religious and spiritual traditions and innovations, embodied participation in therapeutic programs like psychoanalysis and gendered care services, and political activism or relationships with animals, the authors in this volume create a model for cross-cultural or global analysis of social-self change that leads to fresh ways of addressing the'self'itself.

Sounds, Ecologies, Musics poses exciting challenges and provides fresh opportunities for scholars, scientists, environmental activists, musicians, and listeners to consider music and sound from ecological standpoints. Authors in Part I examine the natural and built environment and how music and sound are woven into it, how the environment enables music and sound, and how the natural and cultural production of music and sound in turn impact the environment. In Part II, contributors consider music and sound in relation to ecological knowledges that appear to conflict with, yet may be viewed as complementary to, Western science: traditional and Indigenous ecological and environmental knowledges. Part III features multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches by scholars, scientists, and practitioners who probe the ecological imaginary regarding the complex ideas and contested keywords that characterize ecomusicology: sound, music, culture, society, environment, and nature. A common theme across the book is the idea of diverse ecologies. Once confined to the natural sciences, the word'ecology'is common today in the social sciences, humanities, and arts - yet its diverse uses have become imprecise and confusing. Engaging the conflicting and complementary meanings of'ecology'requires embracing a both/and approach. Diverse ecologies are illustrated in the methodological, terminological, and topical variety of the chapters as well as the contributors'choice of sources and their disciplinary backgrounds. In times of mounting human and planetary crises, Sounds, Ecologies, Musics challenges disciplinarity and broadens the interdisciplinary field of ecomusicologies. These theoretical and practical studies expand sonic, scholarly, and political activism from the diversity-equity-inclusion agenda of social justice to embrace the more diverse and inclusive agenda of ecocentric ecojustice.

In der Geschichte der Komiktheorie ist die Medienspezifik der Komik bislang noch kaum erforscht worden. Bisher konzentrierten sich die literatur- und kulturwissenschaftlichen Untersuchungen zumeist auf die Gattungsspezifik der Komik, hier vor allem auf literarische Komik, oder auf kulturelle Abhängigkeiten, wenn sie nicht spezielle Gebiete der Komik wie den Schwarzen Humor oder Komik und Holocaust zum Gegenstand hatten. Zwar ist auch das Medium Film untersucht worden, aber nicht unter der Leitfrage, was das Komische im Film von sprachlicher Komik unterscheidet. Die traditionellen Komiktheorien (Inkongruenztheorie, Überlegenheitstheorie, Entlastungstheorie etc.) sind vor allem am Text oder an sozial-psychologischen Implikationen der Komik ausgerichtet. Es gibt aber Verfahrensweisen der Komik, die beispielsweise spezifisch visuell oder spezifisch auditiv sind oder einem Widerspruch zwischen Bild und Ton erwachsen. Im interdisziplinären Dialog zwischen Philosophie, Literatur-, Sprach-, Musik- und Medienwissenschaft fragt der Band nach der für verschiedene Medien und mediale Konstellationen spezifischen Komik.

With twenty-five essays, seven of which are new to the eighth edition, this best-selling volume examines the nature, morality, and social meanings of contemporary sexual phenomena. Topics include: sexual desire and activity, masturbation, Sexual orientation, asexuality, transgender issues, Zoophilia, rape, casual sex and promiscuity, love and sex, polyamory, sexual consent, sexual, perversion, sexual ethics, objectification, BDSM, sex and technology, sex and race, and sex work. Updated and new discussion questions offer students starting points for debate in both the classroom and the bedroom.

Aesthetics and the philosophy of art are about things in the world – things like the Mona Lisa, but also things like horror movies, things like the ugliest dog in the world, and things like wallpaper. There's a surprising amount of philosophical content to be found in wallpaper. Using a case-driven approach, Introducing Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art is grounded in real-world examples that propel thought, debate, and discussion about the nature of art and beauty. Now in its third edition, this tried-and-tested text features fresh cases and new activities. Hands-on Do Aesthetics! activities pepper the text, and Challenge Cases appear at the end of each chapter to test intuitions, to complicate the field of discussion, and to set a path forward. Charlotte Perkins Gilman's “The Yellow Wall-Paper” serves as a recurring case throughout, and this edition includes the full text of this classic short story. From classical debates that continue to bother philosophers today, to emerging problems of identity, appropriation, and morality, this introduction is designed to engage you in a field that itself engages with so much of the world around you. Here is everything you need to know about the history, themes, thinkers and theories to get you started on aesthetics and the philosophy of art.

El objetivo de nuestro estudio es demostrar cómo el concepto culturalmente relevante e interesante de hogar y naturaleza juega un papel activo y central en La Comunidad del Anillo de JRR Tolkien y en Mago y Cristal de Stephen King. Para ello, analizamos la idea de hogar desarrollada en ambas obras desde el punto de vista de la crítica medioambiental, aportando puntos ilustrativos que justifican las implicaciones ecológicas en la obra de Tolkien y, a su vez, contrastando los resultados obtenidos mediante un análisis comparativo con la obra de King. Presentamos la forma en que ambos autores añaden una nueva perspectiva al concepto de hogar, en la que se presenta un enfoque sostenible y ambientalmente integrado en el que la naturaleza no se sitúa en un espacio separado y artificial, sino al mismo nivel que los protagonistas de las historias.

In this interdisciplinary work, philosophers from different specialisms connect with the notion of the wild today and interrogate how it is mediated through the culture of the Anthropocene. They make use of empirical material like specific artworks, films and other cultural works related to the term'wild'to consider the aesthetic experience of nature, focusing on the untamed, the boundless, the unwieldy, or the unpredictable; in other words, aspects of nature that are mediated by culture. This book maps out the wide range of ways in which we experience the wildness of nature aesthetically, relating both to immediate experience as well as to experience mediated through cultural expression. A variety of subjects are relevant in this context, including aesthetics, art history, theology, human geography, film studies, and architecture. A theme that is pursued throughout the book is the wild in connection with ecology and its experience of nature as both a constructive and destructive force.

Punching Up in Stand-Up Comedy explores the new forms, voices and venues of stand-up comedy in different parts of the world and its potential role as a counterhegemonic tool for satire, commentary and expression of identity especially for the disempowered or marginalised.The title brings together essays and perspectives on stand-up and satire from different cultural and political contexts across the world which raise pertinent issues regarding its role in contemporary times, especially with the increased presence of OTT platforms and internet penetration that allows for easy access to this art form. It examines the theoretical understanding of the different aspects of the humour, aesthetics and politics of stand-up comedy, as well as the exploration of race, gender, politics and conflicts, urban culture and LGBTQ+ identities in countries such as Indonesia, Finland, France, Iran, Italy, Morocco, India and the USA. It also asks the question whether, along with contesting and destabilising existing discursive frameworks and identities, a stand-up comic can open up a space for envisaging a new social, cultural and political order?This book will appeal to people interested in performance studies, media, popular culture, digital culture, sociology, digital sociology and anthropology, and English literature. Chapter 9 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at http://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons (CC-BY) 4.0 license. Funded by the University of Helsinki.

What is the relationship between the soul, or inner life, and what we wear in the making of identity and belief? What bearing do religious and political belonging, respectability, and resistance have on the way in which we dress? Why have more traditional religious practices been so prescriptive about body adornment? Historically, fashionable dress and religion have been positioned as polar opposites. Silhouettes of the Soul brings them together, placing them in conversation with each other. By moving beyond traditional, social scientific, and historical analysis of religious attire and adornment the book presents a variety of disciplinary approaches from across regional, social, and religious locations.Contentious and challenging, as well as academically rigorous, the book's diverse range of contributors - from fashion and religious studies scholars, to designers, activists, monastics, and journalists - explore the relationship between religion and fashion, extending the meanings and possibilities of both dress and spirituality. Combining interviews and personal stories with more traditional theoretical analysis, Silhouettes of the Soul offers new ways of looking at the relationship between religion, personal convictions, and self-expression - our sense of self and our sense of fashion.

Hunger and Postcolonial Writing explores contemporary postcolonial fiction and life-writing from various geo-political contexts. The focus of this work is hunger; individuated in the self-imposed starvation of the hunger protester, and on a mass scale in the form of famine and food insecurity. It considers the hungry colonial and postcolonial body, examines its textual forms and historical trajectories, and situates it within the food security context of imperialism and its legacies. This book is the first monograph-length study of hunger within a postcolonial/world literary context. Its transcolonial focus produces comparative readings across postcolonial writings, facilitating productive analyses of the operations of imperialism and its aftereffects across heterogenous zones of colonialism. This project reads hunger as defined by the social, cultural, historical, and economic engagements produced by colonial and postcolonial encounters. Examining the starving colonialized body through Cartesian models of somatic subjectivity, and considering how this body is mediated by post-Enlightenment discourses of Modernity and progress, this work interrogates the contradictions produced by the starving colonial body as it is positioned between the possibility of radical protest and prescriptive colonial discourse. This book will be of interest to Gastrocritical and Postcolonial scholars and students, and to Food scholars more broadly.

This book explores how the pregnant body is portrayed, perceived and enacted in Shakespeare's and his contemporaries'drama by means of a phenomenological analysis and a recourse to early modern popular medical discourse on reproduction. Phenomenology of pregnancy is a fairly new and radical body of philosophy that questions the post-Cartesian chasm of an almost autonomous reason and an enclosed and self-sufficient (male) body as foundations of identity. Early modern drama, as is argued, was written and staged at the backdrop of revolutionary changes in medicine and science where old and new theories on the embodied self-clashed. In this world where more and more men were expected to steadily grow isolated from their bodies, the pregnant body constituted an embattled contradiction. Indebted to the theories of embodiment this book offers a meticulous and detailed investigation of a plethora of pregnant characters and their “pregnant embodiment” in the pre-modern works by Shakespeare, Middleton, Webster and Ford. The analysis in each chapter argues for an indivisible link between an intensely embodied experience of pregnancy as enacted in space and identity-shaping processes resulting in a more acute sense of selfhood and agency. Despite seemingly disparate experiences of the selected heroines and the repeated attempts at containment of their “unruly” bodies, the ever transforming and “spatial” pregnant identities remain loci of embodied selfhood and agency. This book provocatively argues that fictional characters'experience reflects tangible realities of early modern women, while often deflecting the scientific consensus on reproduction in the period.

Vituperation, disparagement, and debasement seem to have become part of the mainstream discourse in contemporary US-American media culture. Zooming in on a distinct televisual comedy genre, Katja Schulze explores the formal principles, media-specific realizations, and the cultural work of disparagement in contemporary female-led situation comedies. Subsequently, larger patterns of (gender-based) invective strategies and conventions that define the dynamism of this comedic genre come into view. Her study outlines case studies of popular sitcoms, like Parks and Recreation, Mike & Molly, and the revival of hit-sitcom Roseanne, thereby unearthing how the shows are able to stage humor as mass-mediated deprecation - a signifying practice with its own poetics and politics.

Aesthetics and the philosophy of art are about things in the world – things like the Mona Lisa, but also things like horror movies, things like the ugliest dog in the world, and things like wallpaper. There's a surprising amount of philosophical content to be found in wallpaper. Using a case-driven approach, Introducing Aesthetics and the Philosophy of Art is grounded in real-world examples that propel thought, debate, and discussion about the nature of art and beauty. Now in its third edition, this tried-and-tested text features fresh cases and new activities. Hands-on Do Aesthetics! activities pepper the text, and Challenge Cases appear at the end of each chapter to test intuitions, to complicate the field of discussion, and to set a path forward. Charlotte Perkins Gilman's “The Yellow Wall-Paper” serves as a recurring case throughout, and this edition includes the full text of this classic short story. From classical debates that continue to bother philosophers today, to emerging problems of identity, appropriation, and morality, this introduction is designed to engage you in a field that itself engages with so much of the world around you. Here is everything you need to know about the history, themes, thinkers and theories to get you started on aesthetics and the philosophy of art.

In this book, Nathan Miczo demonstrates that humor operates at different levels of identity, exploring how within- and between-group dynamics shape the creation and reception of disparagement humor. While positive forms of humor arise in interpersonal settings, negative forms reflect the activation of group-based, communal identities. Building on this dual sociality view, Miczo critiques the superiority theory of disparagement humor, rooted in Hobbes's definition of laughter, and tied to his notion of a “war of all against all.” Miczo employs the agōn (Greek for contest) to replace the Hobbesian metaphor with a view that groups use disparagement humor to pursue rival goals. This perspective forwards the multifunctional utility of humor in social life, analyzing examples of naturally occurring interaction drawn from studies in Communication, Psychology, and Anthropology. Scholars of humor studies, communication, and anthropology, will find this book of particular interest.