The Politics of British Stand-up Comedy

The New Alternative
1. Auflage 2018
ISBN: 978-3-030-01104-8
Verlag: Springer International Publishing

Buch, Englisch, 131 Seiten, Format (B × H): 153 mm x 216 mm, Gewicht: 308 g

Reihe: Palgrave Studies in Comedy

This Palgrave Pivot questions how a new generation of alternative stand-up comedians and the political world continue to shape and influence each other. The Alternative Comedy Movement of the late 1970s and 1980s can be described as a time of unruly experimentation and left-wing radicalism. This book examines how alternative comedians continue to celebrate these characteristics in the twenty-first century, while also moving into a distinct phase of artistic development as the political context of the 1970s and 1980s loses its immediacy. Sophie Quirk draws on original interviews with comedians including Tom Allen, Josie Long, John-Luke Roberts and Tony Law to chart how alternative comedians are shaped by, and in turn respond to, contemporary political challenges from neoliberalism to Brexit, class controversy to commercialism. She argues that many of our assumptions about comedy’s politics must be challenged and updated. This book is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the working methods and values of today’s alternative comedians.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

Quirk, Sophie

Fachgebiete

• Sozialwissenschaften Sport | Tourismus | Freizeit Humor
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaft und Gesellschaft | Kulturwissenschaften Populärkultur
• Geisteswissenschaften Theater- und Filmwissenschaft | Andere Darstellende Künste Filmwissenschaft, Fernsehen, Radio

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. Introduction.- 2. “Where Are All the Right-Wing Comedians?”.- 3. Political Challenges of the Millennial Era.- 4. Experimentation: Class, Controversy and an Artistic Lifeline.- 5. Conclusion: Widening the Theoretical Basis for Assessing Stand-Up Politics.

Über Autor(innen)

Sophie Quirk is Senior Lecturer in Drama and Theatre at the University of Kent, UK, where she specialises in stand-up comedy and popular performance. She is the author of Why Stand-up Matters: How Comedians Manipulate and Influence (2015).