Laughing at nothing [[electronic resource] ] : humor as a response to nihilism / / John Marmysz

• Record Nr.: UNINA9910819911303321
• Autore: Marmysz John <1964->
• Pubbl/distr/stampa: Albany, : State University of New York Press, c2003
• ISBN: 0-7914-8628-1; 1-4175-3620-9
• Descrizione fisica: 1 online resource (218 p.)
• Disciplina: 149/.8
• Soggetti: Nihilism (Philosophy); Comic, The
• Lingua di pubblicazione: Inglese
• Formato: Materiale a stampa
• Livello bibliografico: Monografia
• Note generali: Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph
• Nota di bibliografia: Includes bibliographical references (p. 195-202) and index.
• Nota di contenuto: Front Matter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- The Problem of Nihilism -- Scrutinizing Nihilism -- German and Russian Nihilism -- Nietzschean Nihilism -- World-War and Postwar Nihilism -- Nihilistic Incongruity -- Decline, Ascent, and Humor -- Decline, Decay, and Falling Away -- Ambition, Aspiration, and Ascent -- Humor and Incongruity -- Humor as a Response to Nihilism -- Postscript -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index
• Sommario/riassunto: Disputing the common misconception that nihilism is wholly negative and necessarily damaging to the human spirit, John Marmysz offers a clear and complete definition to argue that it is compatible, and indeed preferably responded to, with an attitude of good humor. He carefully scrutinizes the phenomenon of nihilism as it appears in the works, lives, and actions of key figures in the history of philosophy, literature, politics, and theology, including Nietzsche, Heidegger, Camus, and Mishima. While suggesting that there ultimately is no solution to the problem of nihilism, Marmysz proposes a way of utilizing the anxiety and despair that is associated with the problem as a spur toward liveliness, activity, and the celebration of life.