Jewish Comedy

In a work of scholarship both erudite and funny, Jeremy Dauber traces the origins of Jewish comedy and its development from biblical times to the age of Twitter. Organising his book thematically into what he calls the seven strands of Jewish comedy (including the Satirical, the Witty and the Vulgar), Dauber explores the ways Jewish comedy has dealt with persecution, assimilation and diaspora through the ages. He explains the rise and fall of popular comic archetypes such as the Jewish mother, the JAP, and the schlemiel and schlimazel. He also explores a range of comic masterpieces, from the Book of Esther, Talmudic rabbi jokes, Yiddish satires, Borscht Belt skits and Seinfeld to the work of such masters as Sholem Aleichem, Franz Kafka, the Marx Brothers, Woody Allen, Joan Rivers, Philip Roth, Sarah Silverman and Jon Stewart.

About the author

Jeremy Dauber is a professor of Jewish literature and American studies at Columbia University. He is the author of Jewish Comedy and The Worlds of Sholem Aleichem, both finalists for the National Jewish Book Award. He lives in New York City.

Product details

• Authors: Jeremy Dauber, Dauber Jeremy
• Publisher: Norton and Co Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.10.2018
• EAN: 9780393356298
• ISBN: 978-0-393-35629-8
• Dimensions: 140 mm x 210 mm x 20 mm
• Subjects: Fiction > Comic, cartoon, humour, satire; Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > Other languages / Other literatures; Non-fiction book > History > Miscellaneous; RELIGION / General, PERFORMING ARTS / General, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Jewish Studies, HUMOR / Topic / Religion, Humour, Religion & beliefs, Jewish Studies, Other performing arts, Religion and beliefs, Relating to Jewish people and groups, Social groups: religious groups and communities