Research Catalog

Forbidden laughter : popular humor and the limits of repression in nineteenth-century Prussia

Title
  1. Forbidden laughter : popular humor and the limits of repression in nineteenth-century Prussia / Mary Lee Townsend.
Published by
  1. Ann Arbor : University of Michigan Press, ©1992.
Author
  1. Townsend, Mary Lee.

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FormatTextAccessUse in libraryCall numberPT3803.P8 T68 1992Item locationOff-site

Details

Description
  1. xix, 258 pages : illustrations; 24 cm.
Summary
  1. When considering Prussian history, the element of humor might not leap instantly to mind. Yet, as Forbidden Laughter reveals, humor played an integral role in nineteenth-century Prussia, proving a powerful medium for the expression of otherwise repressed political and social sentiments. Mary Lee Townsend shows how widespread literacy and new, inexpensive methods of publishing and distribution made it possible to bring a subversive literature to all social strata. In a society with no parliamentary vehicle for political expression and strong taboos against many forms of personal self-expression, popular humor came to serve as a forum for public discussion of political, social, and moral issues. Even after 1849, when Prussians began to enjoy a measure of parliamentary representation and some freedom of the press, the tradition of popular humor lived on. This strong, if little known, history of public, critical discourse suggests that the actions of Berliners and Prussians in 1848 and after were not based on "unpolitical" ignorance due to a lack of parliamentary experience and sheeplike obedience to authority. On the contrary, their attitudes and decisions grew out of lively public debate.
Series statement
  1. Social history, popular culture, and politics in Germany
Uniform title
  1. Social history, popular culture, and politics in Germany
Subject
  1. 1800-1899
  2. German wit and humor > Germany > Prussia > History and criticism
  3. Popular literature > Germany > Prussia > History and criticism
  4. German literature > 19th century > History and criticism
  5. Literature and society > Germany > Prussia > History > 19th century
  6. Literature > history
  7. Wit and Humor as Topic > history
  8. German literature
  9. German wit and humor
  10. Literature and society
  11. Politics and government
  12. Popular literature
  13. Humor
  14. Unterdrückung
  15. Zensur
  16. Volkshumor
  17. Censuur
  18. Répression politique > Prusse
  19. Humour allemand > Allemagne > Prusse > Histoire et critique
  20. Littérature populaire > Allemagne > Prusse > Histoire et critique
  21. Littérature allemande > 19e siècle > Histoire et critique
  22. Prussia (Germany) > Politics and government > 1806-1848
  23. Germany > Prussia
  24. Preußen
  25. Prusse > Politique et gouvernement > Histoire universelle > Ouvrages humoristiques. > 1815-1870
  26. Prusse > Politique et gouvernement > 1806-1848
Genre/Form
  1. Criticism, interpretation, etc.
  2. History
Contents
  1. Note on Translations, Transcriptions, and Citations -- Introduction: The Robespierre of Prussia -- Ch. 1. Berlin -- Beyond the Limits of Repression -- Ch. 2. Berlin's Witty Young Men -- Ch. 3. Hawking Humor on Grub Street -- Ch. 4. Daily Laughter -- Ch. 5. Slouching toward the Revolution -- Ch. 6. Forbidden Laughter -- Ch. 7. The Myth of the Unpolitical German.
Owning institution
  1. Princeton University Library
Bibliography (note)
  1. Includes bibliographical references and index.