Project Gutenberg 1998-02-01 Public domain in the USA. 165 Meredith, George 1828 1909 An Essay on Comedy and the Uses of the Comic Spirit Transcribed from the 1897 Archibald Constable and Company edition by David Price "An Essay on Comedy and the Uses of the Comic Spirit" by George Meredith is a scholarly exploration of comic literature and its relevance to human society, written in the late 19th century. The text delves into the complexities and rarefied nature of true comedy, discussing the societal conditions that foster the comic spirit and the challenges faced by comic poets. Meredith contrasts various comedic traditions, analyzing the societal structures that both stifle and illuminate the comedic experience. The opening of the essay begins by outlining the rarity of true comedies, suggesting that many recognized as such may not fulfill their potential. Meredith introduces the reader to the idea that a rich intellectual environment is necessary for comedy to flourish, while he criticizes the dichotomy between "non-laughers," who reject humor altogether, and "over-laughers," who laugh inappropriately. He argues that the true comic spirit serves as a critical lens on society, illuminating folly and moral failures while offering insight into the human condition. By invoking the works of great comic poets like Moliere and illustrating the evolution of comedic styles, the opening positions comedy as both a mirror and a critique of social norms, laying the foundation for a deeper exploration of its functions in later sections. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en Comedy Comic, The PN Text Browsing: Humour Browsing: Literature 128188 128082 2024-09-01T08:52:45.896137 2023-10-01T08:11:16.351985 text/html text/html 125327 2020-12-31T12:40:19 text/html 49913 2020-12-31T12:40:19 text/html application/zip 112036 2024-09-01T08:52:49.700122 application/epub+zip 112656 2024-09-01T08:52:47.224145 application/epub+zip 112658 2024-09-01T08:52:46.399133 application/epub+zip 267553 2024-09-01T08:52:51.617132 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 257370 2024-09-01T08:52:49.159135 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 257600 2022-09-01T09:58:58.603532 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 119798 119735 2024-09-01T08:52:45.668157 2023-10-01T08:11:16.152953 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 119470 2020-12-31T12:40:19 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 48607 2020-12-31T12:40:19 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 18105 2024-09-01T08:52:51.941125 application/rdf+xml 18944 2024-09-01T08:52:46.753128 image/jpeg 4082 2024-09-01T08:52:46.573136 image/jpeg 114179 2024-09-01T08:52:45.909142 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia