Only Joking

A seriously funny, up-close look at joking matters--from the social origins of laughter, to the art and craft of humor, to why we can never remember the punch line--featuring over 300 jokes. Comedian Jimmy Carr and comedy writer Greeves take an in-depth look at where humor comes from and how it works, through exploring its purest form: the joke. Surveying across national, ethnic, and gender divides, they begin with the mechanism of laughter--how it happens and why even infants do it--then delve into the power of the punch line, exploring the basics of all jokes, from the use of shock and surprise to advanced stand-up techniques such as the "pull-back/reveal." Carr and Greeves go on to explore taboo humor, jokes that bomb, and the psychology of finding something funny.--From publisher description.