Encyclopedia of British Humorists

HUMOR IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF BRITISH LIFE AND LITERATURE In The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis's title character observes that Jokes and Flippancy are valued so highly by the English, who take their 'sense of humour' so seriously that a deficiency in this sense is almost the only deficiency at which they feel shame. J.B. Priestly, too, in a related observation comments: It is curious that so few foreigners have noticed that we English are a humorous race....In no other country will you hear so much talk about a sense of humour. COVERS HUMOROUS LITERATURE FROM MEDIEVAL TO MODERN TIMES Now for the first time, a comprehensive and up-to-date reference work tackles the subject of humor as it has been expressed in British literature, from Beowulf to the present. The 206 signed original essays represent the work of 119 scholars from seven countries and diverse disciplines. Major literary figures such as Jonathan Swift, Oscar Wilde, G.B. Shaw, and Noel Coward are included, as well as lesser known lights such as Francis Beaumont, Stella Gibbons, and George Du Maurier. Readers may be surprised to learn that other literary luminaries such as W.H. Auden, Winston Churchill, Samuel Johnson, and Edith Sitwell have also produced humorous writings. ANALYZES LITERARY AND COMIC TECHNIQUES The most important feature of the essays is their literary analysis, which provides an overview of the author's writings, as well as in-depth analyses of comic techniques in the subject's major works. A biography helps place the writer in historical context, providing such information as the place and date of birth, education, honors and achievements, marital status, and place and date of death. In addition to the signed essays, the Encyclopedia includes a preface, a chronological index, a list of pseudonyms, an introduction, a list of the contributors, and an index.