What's So Funny? A New Road Map to Humour in Dangerous Times

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Exploring the essence of humour and its vital role in free speech today

“Falardeau effectively introduces the technical processes unique to comedy, drawing on numerous examples to provide a convincing and insightful exploration.”    —Communication

Why do we laugh? What makes something funny? And why does humour remain such a powerful—and sometimes dangerous—tool in society?

In What’s So Funny?, renowned author of the widely acclaimed pioneering work A History of Women Cartoonists, Mira Falardeau takes readers on a fascinating journey through the evolution of humour, from ancient Greece to today’s digital age.

Drawing on literature, visual arts, theatre, comics, and satire, she unpacks the mechanics of comedy, exploring techniques like exaggeration, contrast, inversion, and wordplay. With a keen eye on the intersection of humour and free expression, Falardeau delves into the role of political cartoons, dark humour, and satire in challenging authority and shaping public discourse.

At a time when humour is both celebrated and scrutinized, What’s So Funny? serves as an essential guide to understanding the language of comedy and its impact on society.

Key Features:

• A historical and cultural exploration of humour, from classical times to modern media.
• Analysis of humour techniques used in literature, comics, political cartoons, and digital culture.
• A timely discussion of humour’s role in freedom of speech, cancel culture, and social change.

Genre: Psychology/History

Pub Date: May 2025

6x9 inches; 250 pages

Price: $29.95 CDN $26.95 USD

Includes Bibliography, 80 images (cartoons, photos, graphics)

 

Mira Falardeau is a renowned cartoonist and scholar whose work has appeared in Chatelaine, Perspectives, and La Vie en rose. Her comic art has been exhibited at the Contemporary Art Museum in Montreal and the Cartoonists Guild in New York. The author of several books, including A History of Women Cartoonists (Mosaic Press, 2020), she has taught at Laval University, the University of Ottawa, and CÉGEP Limoilou. She lives in Quebec City.