There is unwritten history. :-) Sort of a cultural underground even beyond the more open society we live in here in the West. It is primarily based on gender/biological differences but also impacted by intellectual/emotional capacity and response. Some of this will remain silent to men and to other women and I doubt that will change unless chips are inserted at birth to program both sexes for some futuristic nightmare.
On Nov 29, 10:24 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > All very true rigsy - Lee's story is comedic and touching. I'm not > sure of what women are in history - it's so skewed towards tragedy and > old wives' tales told by men. > > On 30 Nov, 03:20, rigsy03 <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > Aristotle's theory of comedy was lost along with other great works- > > probably burned in the fire that destroyed the library at Alexandria. > > And lost plays might have cast a different light on your summation of > > tragedy and comedy. As it is, you seem to skip over the females- what > > about Antigone, for instance, along with many other notable Greek > > female characters and goddesses- also Roman? What about the strong > > women of the Old Testament? Perhaps it was Christianity that usurped > > female virtues and powers along with the secular tides that followed. > > > At any rate, tragedy views man as nobler than usual and comedy views > > man as ignoble but there are many variations. Probably pure laughter > > is based in delight and is positive in nature, The other extreme would > > be cruelty, as you say. But the absurd can be cruel as it diminishes > > hope. Wit is used to show off intelligence/education. Mockery is > > probably an offshoot of conquests. Lewd humour often masks fear. So on > > and so forth... > > > On Nov 24, 12:51 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > While there is only speculation about how humor developed in early > > > humans, we know that by the 6th century BCE the Greeks had > > > institutionalized it in the ritual known as comedy, and that it was > > > performed with a contrasting dramatic form known as tragedy. Both were > > > based on the violation of mental patterns and expectations, and in > > > both the world is a tangle of conflicting systems where humans live in > > > the shadow of failure, folly, and death. Like tragedy, comedy > > > represents life as full of tension, danger, and struggle, with success > > > or failure often depending on chance factors. Where they differ is in > > > the responses of the lead characters to life's incongruities. > > > Identifying with these characters, audiences at comedies and tragedies > > > have contrasting responses to events in the dramas. And because these > > > responses carry over to similar situations in life, comedy and tragedy > > > embody contrasting responses to the incongruities in life. > > > > Tragedy valorizes serious, emotional engagement with life's problems, > > > even struggle to the death. Along with epic, it is part of the Western > > > heroic tradition that extols ideals, the willingness to fight for > > > them, and honor. The tragic ethos is linked to patriarchy and > > > militarism—many of its heroes are kings and conquerors—and it > > > valorizes what Conrad Hyers (1996) calls Warrior Virtues—blind > > > obedience, the willingness to kill or die on command, unquestioning > > > loyalty, single-mindedness, resoluteness of purpose, and pride. > > > > Comedy, by contrast, embodies an anti-heroic, pragmatic attitude > > > toward life's incongruities. From Aristophanes' Lysistrata to Charlie > > > Chaplin's The Great Dictator to Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11, > > > comedy has mocked the irrationality of militarism and blind respect > > > for authority. Its own methods of handling conflict include deal- > > > making, trickery, getting an enemy drunk, and running away. As the > > > Irish saying goes, you're only a coward for a moment, but you're dead > > > for the rest of your life. In place of Warrior Virtues, it extols > > > critical thinking, cleverness, adaptability, and an appreciation of > > > physical pleasures like eating, drinking, and sex. > > > > Much humour is cruel - but try and read cruelty in to 'Doctor, doctor, > > > I've lost an electron'. 'Are you sure'? 'Yes, I'm positive'. > > > > What do we think humour is?- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --
