Laughter as the Ultimate Epistemological Vehicle i

Authors: Albrecht Classen

Publish Date: 2008/01/10

Volume: 92, Issue: 3, Pages: 471-489

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Abstract

One of the most fundamental experiences in human life is laughter which carries numerous functions Through a critical reading of a selection of tales about Till Eulenspiegel in this sixteenthcentury chapbook we can detect an epistemological function of laughter through which representatives of virtually every social class becomes the object of laughter insofar as they all reveal shortcomings and vices But the laughter triggered by Eulenspiegel does not destroy or hurt badly instead it invites the entire audience to join and to look into the mirror which is of course also part of the protagonist’s name Contrary to many other interpretations this reading then suggests that the author Hermen Bote pursued a similarly sarcastichumorous attitude about the conditions of his time as many contemporaries Brant Montanus Kirchhof Lindener etc and suggested to his listeners/readers to laugh with him as the best strategy to deconstruct the mask of illusion and thus to establish a basis for critical reflections about themselves and their society

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