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Zusatztext The circus can have no better advocate than Paul Bouissac, his knowledge of its history and role in popular culture matched, indeed quickened, by his own experience of having once been part of it. That combination allows him to explain what lies behind the enchantment without ever dispelling its magic. In this, his latest book he describes the Romany contribution to what became the modern circus, a contribution seldom acknowledged, not least by circus folk themselves. Long overdue, too, is his refutation of the claim that animals in circuses are routinely, almost necessarily, mistreated. Yes, abuses have from time to time occurred but so, far more often, have they done elsewhere. And indeed still do, largely overlooked, now that the last trick pony's quit the sawdust ring. Happily, this book recreates for us the joy that was - and is - the circus. In doing so it manages somehow to make it more joyful still. Informationen zum Autor Paul Bouissac is Professor Emeritus at Victoria College, University of Toronto, Canada. He is a world renowned figure in semiotics and a pioneer of circus studies. He runs runs the Semioticon [ https://smartsemiotics.com ], an Open Semiotics Resource Center, which has a global readership. Zusammenfassung This book analyses two features of the traditional circus that have come under increasing attack since the mid-20th century: the use of wild animals in performance and the act of clowning. Positioning this socio-cultural change within the broader perspective of evolutionary semiotics, renowned circus expert Paul Bouissac examines the decline of the traditional circus and its transformation into a purely acrobatic spectacle. The End of the Circus draws on Bouissac’s extensive ethnographic research, including previously unpublished material on the training of wild animals and clown make-up, to chart the origins of the circus in Gypsy culture and the drastic change in contemporary Western attitudes on ethical grounds. It scrutinizes the emergence of the new form of circus, with its focus on acrobatics and the meaning of the body, showing how acrobatic techniques have been appropriated from traditional Gypsy heritage and brought into the fold of mainstream popular entertainment. Questioning the survival of the new circus and the likely resurgence of its traditional forms, this book showcases Bouissac’s innovative approach to semiotics and marks the culmination of his ground-breaking work on the circus. Inhaltsverzeichnis Acknowledgements 1. Overture: Themes and Variations IntroductionWhence and wither the ‘traditional’ circus?‘Death to the circus’Clowns on the waneThe body: from ritual to spectacleThe human tragedy: “You! Wretched Gypsies!” 2. First Movement, Andante Sostenuto : The Time of the Gypsies Who are the Gypsies?Where do Gypsies come from?Contrapuntal development #1Being a Gypsy: the bane or bliss of differenceA deeper time perspectiveThe circus enters history: Was Philip Astley a Gypsy?The art of survivalContrapuntal development #2: What is a name?Our inner GypsyAn ode to resilienceOn the flipsideThe evolution of space, time, and cultures 3. Second Movement Vivace Furioso : Animals A memoryHunger rules the worldThe human animal: the game of life and deathBear powerThe hyena men of NigeriaWolvesThe death of a tigressHunger never stopsFrom non-animal humans to non-human animalsThe cage acts of yesteryearsWhat is a wild animal?The antiquity of the animal circus: the elephantsThe antiquity of the animal circus: the predatorsWild utopiaEthos, ethics, and the Peterson effectA self-defeating strategyCultural entropy and semiotic panic 4. Third Movement, Adagio Lamentendo : Clowns Perplexed clownsMasksWhat is a clown?A detour to India: the VidûshakaA modern master: Charlie ChaplinTwo kin...
