This book examines three different comical forms: humor, irony, and jokes from the philosophical and the ethical points of view. The theme connects these forms in their linguistic expression but distinguishes them by pointing out the differences in their social function. The result of this analysis is that humor reveals itself as being the least social form of the comic while jokes reflect the highest level of socialization. Examination of the social function of the comic highlights the rapport between the comical form and transgressive modes of expression.
"There are two features of this book which make it especially valuable: the high quality of its scholarship, and its cross-disciplinary approach. This study should prove equally relevant to philosophy, psychoanalytic theory, philosophical anthropology and to literary theory, where the concept and structure of irony have been an important focus of recent discussion. Tarozzi Goldsmith's breadth of learning and intellectual penetration are exceptional: and, apart from offering lucid and insightful analyses of the difficult texts of Hegel, Freud, Lacan, and others, she also brings to her writing an in-depth familiarity with contemporary Italian philosophical and psychoanalytical scholarship which has been all too neglected in the literature." (Véronique M. Fóti, Pennsylvania State University)