Women and Laughter (Feminist Issues: Practice, Politics, Theory)

Women and Laughter, from Aristotle to Lucille Ball and beyond, explains the tradition in which women have been relegated to the status of object rather than producer of humor, both in theory and practice. The author traces the various ways in which, jokes, like sex, have been figured as something men do to women, and discusses this link between laughter and sexuality with reference to philosophy, sociology, psychoanalysis, and feminist theory. The author also examines the serious implications of the 'humorless' prejudice on women both politically and socially and explains the forces that continue this trend.