{"product_id":"woody-allen-vittorio-hzisle-9780268031046","title":"Woody Allen: An Essay on the Nature of the Comical","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn this extended essay, Vittorio Hösle develops a theory of the comical and applies it to interpret both the recurrent personae played by Woody Allen the actor and the philosophical issues addressed by Woody Allen the director in his films. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTaking Henri Bergson's analysis of laughter as a starting point, Hösle integrates aspects of other theories of laughter to construct his own more finely-articulated and expanded model. With this theory in hand, Hösle discusses the incongruity in the characters played by Woody Allen and describes how these personae are realized in his work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Hösle focuses on the philosophical issues in Allen's major films by exploring the identity problem in \u003ci\u003ePlay It Again, Sam\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eZelig\u003c\/i\u003e, the shortcomings of the positivist concept of reality in \u003ci\u003eA Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy\u003c\/i\u003e, the relation between reality and art in \u003ci\u003eThe Purple Rose of Cairo\u003c\/i\u003e, the objective validity of morality in \u003ci\u003eCrimes and Misdemeanors\u003c\/i\u003e, the power of evil in \u003ci\u003eShadows and Fog\u003c\/i\u003e, and the relation between art and morality in \u003ci\u003eBullets over Broadway\u003c\/i\u003e. He cites Allen's virtuosic reinterpretation of older forms of expression and his integration of the fantastic into the comic universe--elements like the giant breasts, anxious sperm, extraterrestrials, ghosts, and magicians that populate his movies--as formal moves akin to those of Aristophanes. Both an overview of Allen's work and a philosophical analysis of laughter, Hösle's study demonstrates why Allen's films have more to offer us--morally, philosophically, and artistically--than just a few laughs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Vittorio Hösle\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0268031045\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780268031046\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University of Notre Dame Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 03\/01\/2007\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 112\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.37lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.59w x 0.32d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eReference and Research Bk News\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/01\/2007 pg. 264","brand":"Vittorio Hösle","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48013711114495,"sku":"9780268031046","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_4a5da748-9778-4137-9e0b-84d43a0db84f.jpg?v=1767744292","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/woody-allen-vittorio-hzisle-9780268031046","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}