Humour is a universal feature of human life. It has been discovered in every known human culture, and thinkers have discussed it for over two thousand years. In this Very Short Introduction Noel Carroll considers the nature and value of humour: from its leading theories and its relation to emotion and cognition, to ethical questions of its morality and its significance in shaping society.

About the Series:
Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible. Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume in this series provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given discipline or field. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how the subject has developed and how it has influenced society. Eventually, the series will encompass every major academic discipline, offering all students an accessible and abundant reference library. Whatever the area of study that one deems important or appealing, whatever the topic that fascinates the general reader, the Very Short Introductions series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable.

Noel Carroll, Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Temple University

Noel Carroll is Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Temple University. He is a renowned scholar in the fields of film theory, the philosophy of literature, the philosophy of the visual arts, and social and cultural theory. He is the author or editor of 15 books and hundreds of articles on a wide range of humanistic and cultural topics and he has already written broadly on the topic of comedy. He currently teaches courses in film and media theory, philosophy of art and philosophy of history.