Encyclopedia of British humorists : Geoffrey Chaucer to John Cleese /

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Bibliographic Details
Imprint:New York : Garland, c1996.
Description:2 v. ; 26 cm.
Language:English
Series:Garland reference library of the humanities vol. 906
Subject:English wit and humor -- Bio-bibliography.
Humorists, English -- Biography -- Dictionaries.
English wit and humor -- Dictionaries.
English wit and humor.
Humorists, English.
Reference works.
Bio-bibliography.
Biography -- Dictionaries.
Dictionaries.
Format: Print Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/1733654
Hidden Bibliographic Details
Varying Form of Title:British humorists
Other authors / contributors:Gale, Steven H.
ISBN:0824059905 (set)
Notes:Includes bibliographical references and index.
Review by Choice Review

This ambitious specialized reference work covers 206 humorists who, according to the preface, were either born in or wrote most of their humorous material in the British Isles. Although most of the authors are known primarily as humorists, a substantial number may cause at least mild surprise in this company: Winston Churchill, E.M. Forster, A.E. Housman, and H.G. Wells. Their entries emphasize their intentionally funny works. The oldest writer covered is the Beowulf poet (another author not well remembered for intentional humor); such modern luminaries as Martin Amis and John Cleese have substantial coverage. The alphabetical list of pseudonyms is very helpful. The source for each entry is cited. As noted in the preface, "humor is a subject too often given short shrift in literary analysis." Libraries, especially academic and research libraries, should find this work useful for reference, particularly for pure humorists like Jerome K. Jerome. There is a companion work for American humorists. R. S. Bravard Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania

Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review

The scope of this two-volume work is literary humor of the British Isles (England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales), from the eighth century to the present. Writers widely known as humorists, such as P. G. Wodehouse and Evelyn Waugh, are obviously included, but Gale (editor also of the Encyclopedia of American Humorists [Garland, 1988]), has cast a wide net, examining the humorous or satiric aspects of major literary figures. Thus there are entries for Winston Churchill, John Donne, and Bertrand Russell; the entry for Thomas Hardy considers his humorous treatment of rustic Dorset villagers and country life. While John Cleese is included as a comedy writer, the editor emphasizes in the introduction that the use of the word humorist in the title indicates those who work primarily in a literary medium, excluding comedians who may write jokes but are basically performers--hence no Benny Hill. The signed articles are sizable. The entry on Chaucer, for example, is some 14 pages, though most range from three to five. Most of the 118 contributors are professors, with a history of scholarship on their subjects, although there are librarians and independent scholars as well. Each article includes a section of biographical information, extensive literary analysis, some footnotes, and a bibliography including primary sources, modern editions, and annotated secondary sources. The articles are written in a scholarly but readable style. While the two volumes are alphabetically arranged, a complete name-title index in volume 2 leads to other mentions of the treated authors and their works, as well as names mentioned in the articles. Overall, this is an impressive work. Though there are many treatments of British wit and humor, there are no comparable reference works. While most of these authors can be found in a variety of literary reference works, none has quite this focus on humor. The biographical information is interesting, but the set's value lies in the literary analysis of the elements of humor, wit, satire, and irony in the works of these 206 figures, as well as the inclusion of further references. Very appropriate for academic collections as well as large public libraries. (Reviewed Aug. 1996)

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Choice Review


Review by Booklist Review