American Laughter, American Fury : Humor and the Making of a White Man's Democracy, 1750-1850.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Zelnik, Eran A.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

American wit and humor--History and criticism.

American wit and humor.

National characteristics, American.

African Americans--History.

African Americans.

White people--United States--Attitudes.

White people.

United States--Race relations.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (353 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2025.

Summary:

"This work demonstrates how so-called "comical" practices, including not only jokes but also carnivalesque misrule, playing Indian, and wearing blackface helped white men cast "America" as a land and nation in which only they were entitled to citizenship"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Cover

Half Title

Title

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

Introduction

Part I: Yankees and Gentlemen

1 The Joyous Multitude: Humor and the Premodern Crowd in the Revolutionary Era

2 The Witty Few: Augustan Humor and the Politics of Exclusion

Part II: From Backcountry to Frontier

3 Laughter in the Wilderness: Transgression and Mirth in Rural America

4 The Laughter and the Fury: Terror and Masquerade on the American Frontier

5 Alligator-Horses: The Frontier Jester and the Origins of Manifest Destiny

Part III: A Tale of Two Clowns

6 A Black Clown for a White Nation: The Origins and Context of Blackface Minstrelsy

7 American Foils: Black and White Jesters in Antebellum Popular Culture

Epilogue: Laughter and Fury from the Klan to January 6, 2021

Acknowledgments

Notes

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Other Format:

Print version: Zelnik, Eran A. American Laughter, American Fury

ISBN:

9781421450612

OCLC:

1478587500