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HISTORY OF ENGLISH HUMOUR
With an Introduction upon Ancient Humour.
by
THE REV. A. G. L'ESTRANGE,
Author of
"The Life of the Rev. William Harness,"
"From the Thames to the Tamar,"
Etc.
In Two Volumes.
Vol. I.
London:
Hurst and Blackett, Publishers,
13, Great Marlborough Street.
1878.
All rights reserved.
CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME.
PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS.
Subjective Character of the Ludicrous--The Subject little
Studied--Obstacles to the Investigation--Evanescence--Mental
Character of the Ludicrous--Distinction between
Humour and the Ludicrous 1
INTRODUCTION.
PART I.
ORIGIN OF HUMOUR.
Pleasure in Humour--What is Laughter?--Sympathy--First
Phases--Gradual Development--Emotional Phase--Laughter
of Pleasure--Hostile Laughter--Is there any sense of the Ludicrous
in the Lower Animals?--Samson--David--Solomon--Proverbs--Fables 13
PART II.
GREEK HUMOUR.
Birth of Humour--Personalities--Story of Hippocleides--Origin
of Comedy--Archilochus--Hipponax--Democritus,
the Laughing Philosopher--Aristophanes--Humour
of the Senses--Indelicacy--Enfeeblement of the Drama--Humorous
Games--Parasites, their Position and Jests--Philoxenus--Diogenes--Court
of Humour--Riddles--Silli 52
PART III.
ROMAN HUMOUR.
Roman Comedy--Plautus--Acerbity--Terence--Satire--Lucilius--Horace
--Humour of the Cæsar Family--Cicero--Augustus--Persius--Petronius
--Juvenal--Martial--Epigrammatist--Lucian--Apuleius--Julian
the Apostate--The Misopogon--Symposius' Enigmas--Macrobius--Hierocles
and Philagrius 99
ENGLISH HUMOUR.
CHAPTER I.
MIDDLE AGES.
Relapse of Civilization in the Middle Ages--Stagnation of
Mind--Scarcity of Books--Character of reviving Literature--Religious
Writings--Fantastic Legends--Influence
of the Crusades--Romances--Sir Bevis of Hamptoun--Prominence
of the Lower Animals--Allegories 161