Table of Contents

Introduction 1 Section 1 1 Definitions, genres, and forms 2 Comedy and narrative 3 Gags, jokes, wisecracks, and comic events 4 Laughter, humour, and the comic 5 Verisimilitude Section 2 6 Hollywood, comedy, and The Case of Silent Slapstick 7 The comedy of the sexes Section 3 8 Comedy, television, and variety 9 Broadcast comedy and sit-com