The Dance of the Comedians: The People, the President, and the Performance of Political Standup Comedy in America

by Peter M. Robinson

Book Overview

Why did Barack Obama court Jon Stewart and trade jokes with Stephen Colbert during the campaign of 2008? Why did Sarah Palin forgo the opportunity to earn votes on the Sunday morning political talk shows but embrace the chance to get laughs on Saturday Night Live? The Dance of the Comedians examines the history behind these questions--the merry, mocking, and highly contested anarchies of standup political comedy that have locked humorists,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1558497854
• ISBN13: 9781558497856
• Release Date: November 2010
• Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.2" x 9.2"
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher