The Collected Stories of Rumpole

The Collected Stories of Rumpole
Author: John Mortimer
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 752
Release: 2013-04-04
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0141198826

Horace Rumpole - witty, eloquent, dishevelled and cynical - is one of fiction's best-loved barristers-at-law. In these twenty classic tales, Rumpole battles through the Old Bailey, whether defending various members of an incompetent South London crime family, taking on haute-cuisine chefs and showfolk or mocking the pomposity of his own profession, all the while being held in check by his wife, Hilda: the wonderful, fearsome She Who Must Be Obeyed. These collected stories, in Penguin Modern Classics for the first time, are a definitive introduction to one of the wisest and wittiest characters in British comic writing and a reminder of what justice should really be about. With a new introduction by Sam Leith, former literary editor of the Daily Telegraph and contributor to the Evening Standard, Guardian and Spectator.

Lowering the Bar

Lowering the Bar
Author: Marc Galanter
Publisher: Univ of Wisconsin Press
Total Pages: 452
Release: 2006-08-08
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9780299213541

What do you call 600 lawyers at the bottom of the sea? Marc Galanter calls it an opportunity to investigate the meanings of a rich and time-honored genre of American humor: lawyer jokes. Lowering the Bar analyzes hundreds of jokes from Mark Twain classics to contemporary anecdotes about Dan Quayle, Johnnie Cochran, and Kenneth Starr. Drawing on representations of law and lawyers in the mass media, political discourse, and public opinion surveys, Galanter finds that the increasing reliance on law has coexisted uneasily with anxiety about the “legalization” of society. Informative and always entertaining, his book explores the tensions between Americans’ deep-seated belief in the law and their ambivalence about lawyers.

Law and Disorder: Absurdly Funny Moments from the Courts

Law and Disorder: Absurdly Funny Moments from the Courts
Author: Charles M. Sevilla
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Total Pages: 186
Release: 2014-08-04
Genre: Humor
ISBN: 0393349543

More hilarious, unbelievable-but-true stories from our nation’s courts, from the author of Disorder in the Court and Disorderly Conduct. Charles M. Sevilla finds comic gems in court transcripts—and now brings readers a delightful, all-new collection. Starting with a chapter on the defendants (one of whom, when asked his marital status, replies after a long pause, "Adequate") and following with sections on lawyers, experts, witnesses, evidence, and even one called "Malaprops" (DA: The status of the boat has no relevance to this case at all. This is a total fishing expedition). Stories from Sevilla's previous books have become viral Internet sensations, priming readers for more legal disorder, such as: Clerk: Do you solemnly swear that the testimony you are about to given in the cause now pending before this court shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God? Witness: Yes, I swear. I’ll say anything but the truth, nothing but the truth.

Humor in the Salt Mines

Humor in the Salt Mines
Author: Asa Rountree
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2013
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9781627221733

"Asa Rountree was born in Birmingham, Alabama. A graduate of the University of Alabama and Harvard Law School, he practiced law as corporate litigator and trial lawyer. He spent most of his career in New York City as a partner at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP, before he retired from that firm and returned to Birmingham as a shareholder at Maynard, Cooper & Gale, P.C. He was a prolific and broad ranging writer and penned titles such as The Roman Republic : An Historical Parallel?; Human Nature, Morality, and the State; and Words : Essays and Other Words. He was, he like to say, a consummate collector of rejection slips. This book collects Asa's well-honed views on how to practice law. His advice is timeless and true, funny and practical. It also hints at the great pleasure that can be had in aiming for excellence as a lawyer. Asa's memos shaped generations of lawyers who had the good luck to work with him"--Page 4 of cover.

Encyclopedia of Humor Studies

Encyclopedia of Humor Studies
Author: Salvatore Attardo
Publisher: SAGE Publications
Total Pages: 985
Release: 2014-02-25
Genre: Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN: 1483364704

The Encyclopedia of Humor: A Social History explores the concept of humor in history and modern society in the United States and internationally. This work’s scope encompasses the humor of children, adults, and even nonhuman primates throughout the ages, from crude jokes and simple slapstick to sophisticated word play and ironic parody and satire. As an academic social history, it includes the perspectives of a wide range of disciplines, including sociology, child development, social psychology, life style history, communication, and entertainment media. Readers will develop an understanding of the importance of humor as it has developed globally throughout history and appreciate its effects on child and adult development, especially in the areas of health, creativity, social development, and imagination. This two-volume set is available in both print and electronic formats. Features & Benefits: The General Editor also serves as Editor-in-Chief of HUMOR: International Journal of Humor Research for The International Society for Humor Studies. The book’s 335 articles are organized in A-to-Z fashion in two volumes (approximately 1,000 pages). This work is enhanced by an introduction by the General Editor, a Foreword, a list of the articles and contributors, and a Reader’s Guide that groups related entries thematically. A Chronology of Humor, a Resource Guide, and a detailed Index are included. Each entry concludes with References/Further Readings and cross references to related entries. The Index, Reader’s Guide themes, and cross references between and among related entries combine to provide robust search-and-browse features in the electronic version. This two-volume, A-to-Z set provides a general, non-technical resource for students and researchers in such diverse fields as communication and media studies, sociology and anthropology, social and cognitive psychology, history, literature and linguistics, and popular culture and folklore.

Judges, Judging and Humour

Judges, Judging and Humour
Author: Jessica Milner Davis
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 350
Release: 2018-07-20
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 3319767380

This book examines social aspects of humour relating to the judiciary, judicial behaviour, and judicial work across different cultures and eras, identifying how traditionally recorded wit and humorous portrayals of judges reflect social attitudes to the judiciary over time. It contributes to cultural studies and social science/socio-legal studies of both humour and the role of emotions in the judiciary and in judging. It explores the surprisingly varied intersections between humour and the judiciary in several legal systems: judges as the target of humour; legal decisions regulating humour; the use of humour to manage aspects of judicial work and courtroom procedure; and judicial/legal figures and customs featuring in comic and satiric entertainment through the ages. Delving into the multi-layered connections between the seriousness of the work of the judiciary on the one hand, and the lightness of humour on the other hand, this fascinating collection will be of particular interest to scholars of the legal system, the criminal justice system, humour studies, and cultural studies.

Humour: A Very Short Introduction

Humour: A Very Short Introduction
Author: Noël Carroll
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 161
Release: 2014-01-23
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0191642592

Humour has been discovered in every known human culture and thinkers have discussed it for over two thousand years. Humour can serve many functions; it can be used to relieve stress, to promote goodwill among strangers, to dissipate tension within a fractious group, to display intelligence, and some have even claimed that it improves health and fights sickness. In this Very Short Introduction Noel Carroll examines the leading theories of humour including The Superiority Theory and The Incongruity Theory. He considers the relation of humour to emotion and cognition, and explores the value of humour, specifically in its social functions. He argues that humour, and the comic amusement that follows it, has a crucial role to play in the construction of communities, but he also demonstrates that the social aspect of humour raises questions such as 'When is humour immoral?' and 'Is laughing at immoral humour itself immoral?'. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

Beyond a Joke

Beyond a Joke
Author: S. Lockyer
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 221
Release: 2005-11-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0230236774

Humour is pervasive in contemporary culture, and is generally celebrated as a public good. Yet there are times when it is felt to produce intolerance, misunderstanding or even hatred. This book brings together, for the first time, contributions that consider the ethics as well as the aesthetics of humour. The book focuses on the abuses and limits of humour, some of which excite considerable social tension and controversy. Beyond a Joke is an exciting intervention, full of challenging questions and issues.

Anonymous Lawyer

Anonymous Lawyer
Author: Jeremy Blachman
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
Total Pages: 307
Release: 2007-04-17
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1466803231

A “side-achingly funny” debut novel about a high-powered lawyer whose candid blog about life inside his firm threatens to destroy him (Publishers Weekly). He’s a hiring partner at one of the world’s largest law firms. Brilliant yet ruthless, he has little patience for associates who leave the office before midnight or steal candy from the bowl on his secretary’s desk. He hates holidays and paralegals. And he’s just started a weblog to tell the world about what life is really like at the top of his profession. Meet Anonymous Lawyer. The summer’s about to start, and he’s got a new crop of interns. But he’s also got a few things bothering him: The Jerk, his bitter rival at the firm, who is determined to do whatever it takes to beat him out for the chairman’s job. Anonymous Wife is spending his money as fast as he can make it. And there’s that secret blog he’s writing, which is a perverse bit of fun until he gets an e-mail from someone inside the firm who knows he’s its author. Written in the form of a blog, Anonymous Lawyer is a spectacularly entertaining debut that rips away the bland façade of corporate law and offers a telling glimpse inside a frightening world . . .

A Comedian and an Activist Walk into a Bar

A Comedian and an Activist Walk into a Bar
Author: Caty Borum Chattoo
Publisher: University of California Press
Total Pages: 295
Release: 2020-03-24
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0520299779

Comedy is a powerful contemporary source of influence and information. In the still-evolving digital era, the opportunity to consume and share comedy has never been as available. And yet, despite its vast cultural imprint, comedy is a little-understood vehicle for serious public engagement in urgent social justice issues – even though humor offers frames of hope and optimism that can encourage participation in social problems. Moreover, in the midst of a merger of entertainment and news in the contemporary information ecology, and a decline in perceptions of trust in government and traditional media institutions, comedy may be a unique force for change in pressing social justice challenges. Comedians who say something serious about the world while they make us laugh are capable of mobilizing the masses, focusing a critical lens on injustices, and injecting hope and optimism into seemingly hopeless problems. By combining communication and social justice frameworks with contemporary comedy examples, authors Caty Borum Chattoo and Lauren Feldman show us how comedy can help to serve as a vehicle of change. Through rich case studies, audience research, and interviews with comedians and social justice leaders and strategists, A Comedian and an Activist Walk Into a Bar: The Serious Role of Comedy in Social Justice explains how comedy – both in the entertainment marketplace and as cultural strategy – can engage audiences with issues such as global poverty, climate change, immigration, and sexual assault, and how activists work with comedy to reach and empower publics in the networked, participatory digital media age.