Enjoyment

Philosophy, art criticism and popular opinion all seem to treat the aesthetics of the comic as lightweight, while the tragic seems to be regarded with greater seriousness. Why this favouring of sadness over joy? Can it be justified? What are the criteria by which the significance of comedy can be estimated vis a vis tragedy? Questions such as these underlie the present selection of studies, which cast new light on the comic, the joyful and laughter itself. This challenge to the popular attitude strikes out into new territory, relating such matters to the profundity with which we enjoy life and its role in the deployment of the Human Condition.