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Item Details
| Title:
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THE SEMIOTICS OF CLOWNS AND CLOWNING
RITUALS OF TRANSGRESSION AND THE THEORY OF LAUGHTER |
| By: |
Paul Bouissac |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| List price:
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£37.99 |
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We currently do not stock this item, please contact the publisher directly for
further information.
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| ISBN 10: |
1472532783 |
| ISBN 13: |
9781472532787 |
| Publisher: |
BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING PLC |
| Pub. date: |
21 May, 2015 |
| Series: |
Bloomsbury Advances in Semiotics |
| Pages: |
232 |
| Synopsis: |
During the last 300 years circus clowns have emerged as powerful cultural icons. This is the first semiotic analysis of the range of make-up and costumes through which the clowns' performing identities have been established and go on developing. It also examines what Bouissac terms 'micronarratives' - narrative meanings that clowns generate through their acts, dialogues and gestures. Putting a repertory of clown performances under the semiotic microscope leads to the conclusion that the performances are all interconnected and come from what might be termed a 'mythical matrix'. These micronarratives replicate in context-sensitive forms a master narrative whose general theme refers to the emergence of cultures and constraints that they place upon instinctual behaviour. From this vantage point, each performance can be considered as a ritual which re-enacts the primitive violence inherent in all cultures and the temporary resolutions which must be negotiated as the outcome. Why do these acts of transgression and re-integration then trigger laughter and wonder? What kind of mirror does this put up to society?In a masterful semiotic analysis, Bouissac delves into decades of research to answer these questions. |
| Illustrations: |
40 illus |
| Publication: |
UK |
| Imprint: |
Bloomsbury Academic |
| Returns: |
Non-returnable |
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