What are some books on the philosophy of comedy?

I'm looking to teach a class on the philosophy of comedy: ideally use comedy as a way to further learn and think about classic philosophical questions, about the nature of humor, and historical philosophical views on comedy.<br><br>I have only a few weeks to get a syllabus and coursework together: so I will need ideas fast.<br><br>Some of the questions I think are particularly interesting (and that I use humor to teach other topics) include:<br><br>*what is a joke? Is comedy an art? (Aesthetics)<br>*Is there ever a moral justification for censorship of comedy? If comedy violates social norms, then should it be protected by free speech? Is it ever wrong to tell a joke? (Ethics)<br>*Why do we laugh? What is the value of humor in our lives? (Value Theory)<br>*Why is it wrong to punch down? Or is it? (Political Philosophy)<br>*Is there anything we shouldn't make jokes about? (Ethics)<br>*Do we remember things more or less when they are delivered as a joke? (Epistemology)<br>*Why do we deny, or refuse to admit, that we are funny when we are (and we know we are)? (Authenticity)<br>*Can humor use tropes, irony, and references without being considered low "art" or pseudo-intellectual? (Aesthetics)<br>*What are the limits of parody and satire? (Ethics)<br>*Is there a difference between comedy that is dark, absurdist, ironic, or sarcastic? Is there a difference between stand-up, sketch, improv, musical or slapstick comedy? (Aesthetics)<br>*Can comedy be used as a form of social commentary? What is the value of comedy: can it change our beliefs or actions? (Political Philosophy)<br><br>Some examples of what I would like to use include:<br><br>*Plato's Philebus<br>*Aristotle's Poetics<br>*Hegel's Lectures on Aesthetics<br>*Adorno and Horkheimer's Dialectic of Enlightenment<br>*Kierkegaard's Concluding Unscientific Postscript (especially the humorist)<br>*Nietzsche's On Truth and Lie in an Extra-Moral Sense<br>*Freud's Jokes and their Relation to the Unconscious<br>*Baudelaire's On the Essence of Laughter<br>*Deleuze's Humor, Irony, and the Law (and other short essays)<br><br>You can see that, while there are some places to start, I need to flesh out a course readers for about 15 weeks or so.<br><br>What are your suggestions for works on the philosophy of comedy?<br><br>I am also considering books on comedy not written by philosophers, but that have philosophical insights.<br><br>Some of these include:<br><br>*Comedy Writing Secrets: The Best-Selling Book on How to Think Funny, Write Funny, Act Funny, And Get Paid for It, Second Edition, (Mark Shatz)<br>*The Hidden Tools of Comedy: The Serious Business of Being Funny (Steve Kaplan)<br>*And Here's the Kicker: Conversations with Humor Writers About Their Craft (Mike Sacks)<br>*Comedy at the Edge: How Outrageous Comedy In the 1970's Changed America: On and Off the Stage (Richard Zoglin)<br>*Poking a Dead Frog: Conversations with Today's Top Comedy Writers (Mike Sacks)<br>*The Comedy Bible: The Complete Resource for Aspiring Comedians (Judy Carter)<br>*Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life (Steve Martin)<br>*We Killed: The Rise of Women in American Comedy (Yael Kohen)<br>*Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) (Mindy Kaling)<br>*Food: A Love Story (Jim Gaffigan)<br>*Dad is Fat (Jim Gaffigan)<br>*Is This Anything? (Jerry Seinfeld)<br>*Yes Please (Amy Poehler)<br>*Scrappy Little Nobody (Anna Kendrick)<br>*The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo (Amy Schumer)<br>*You're Never Weird on the Internet (Felicia Day)<br>*How to Be Champion: My Blue Print for Success (Sarah Millican)<br>*Depression and Other Magic Tricks (Sabrina Benaim)<br>*Born with Teeth: A Memoir (Kate Mulgrew)<br>*They're Not Your Friends Act Like It: What Everyone Should Know About the Film and TV Business (Ben Stein)<br>*Watching Ne corrosprotection with Cardboard Shoes (BoJack Horseman) (Raphael Bob-Waksberg)<br>*Zombie Spaceship Wasteland (Patton Oswalt)<br>*Silver Screen Fiend: Learning About Life from an Addiction to Film (Patton Oswalt)<br>*Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything in Between) (Lauren Graham)<br>*How to American: An Immigrant's Guide to Disappointing Your Parents (Jimmy O. Yang)<br>*This Is Me: Loving the Person You Are Today (Chrissy Metz)<br>*The Bog Girl: A Novel (Karen Russell)<br>*Yes, Please (Dave Chappelle)<br>*Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person (Shonda Rhimes)<br>*The City Beneath (Arinn Dembo)<br>*Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body (Roxane Gay)<br>*Growing Up Fisher: Musings, Memories, and Misadventures (Joely Fisher)<br>*Nevertheless: A Memoir (Alec Baldwin)<br>* improv: Scared (TruthandLie) (Live) (Matt Besser)<br>*How to use Your Enemies (Brian Regan)<br><br>Again, any suggestions for books on the philosophy of comedy would be super helpful. Thank you so much for reading and contributing.