Abstract
Aristotle presented m an not only as a political anim al but also as a laughing an im al. 1 These characteristics of m ankind are closely interconnected: Both of them stem from the sociable nature of the hum an being. Laughter is an aspect of hum an behaviour closely associated with m any realms of social life, a social phenom enon par excellence. T he French philosopher H enri Bergson aptly rem arked that, in order to understand laughter, we m ust examine it in its natural environm ent, which is society 2 I t may be justifiable to invert Bergson’s rem ark (or ra ther to complete it) and to assert that, in order to understand a certain society, it is im portan t to examine its laughter. T he purpose of this paper is to analyse the various aspects and functions of laughter in Spartan society.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Classical Sparta |
Subtitle of host publication | Techniques behind her Success |
Publisher | Taylor and Francis |
Pages | 1-25 |
Number of pages | 25 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781317802341 |
ISBN (Print) | 0415003393 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 1 Jan 2014 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 1989 Anton Powell.
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Arts and Humanities