Humour and Renaissance Culture, 1500 –1660

This book provides a comprehensive discussion of humour in renaissance culture. It approaches the meaning of renaissance culture as referring not only to the broad cultural productivity of Europe in the period between 1500-1660, but also to the renewed and massively intensified engagement with ancient Greek and Roman culture which contributed, among other things, to religious reformation. The book identifies and interprets rhetorical acts of humour construction across the period. It analyses the influence of ancient models of humour in Renaissance philosophy and drama, as well as constructions of humour in Renaissance plays, popular narratives, ballads, poems, pictures, sermons, and religious polemic. It uses rhetoric as special angle on humour in this period. In addition, by making pervasive use of the benign violation theory of humour, it evaluates the potential of exploiting that theory for considering the cultural history of humour. Humour and Renaissance Culture, 1500 –1660 will appeal to scholars and students (both undergraduate and postgraduate) in the areas of early modern history, cultural history, humour studies, literary studies, reformation studies, and church history.