Medieval Humour

The medieval period has been extensively theorised and cited by critics in histories of comedy and

humour. The particularities that feature in its literature, drama, visual art, and other social practices,

however, have often been looked at as useful only as precedents to modern forms and theories. In

this class, we will investigate the kinds of humour that appear in literature and drama, which have

either been read as scandalous and tasteless, or as subverting prevailing social mores, considering

how useful or limited these designations have been. We will discuss how to identify humour in a

historical text, how theories have developed and become entrenched in criticism, and how to think

about humour in historical texts more widely. A selection of medieval plays such as the N-Town

'Joseph's Trouble About Mary', the York 'Flood', and literary texts such as Chaucer's 'Miller's Tale' will

be made available to purchase in a reader at polycopie.unige.ch.