History of Humor: 19th-Century Europe

Europe in the 19th century looked quite different from today. In fact, this has been called the age of nationalism, as many of the modern nations we are familiar with were formed during this period. However, the different cultures managed to keep some distinction. This entry is organized based on the individual cultures and their languages. German and Austrian writers, because they write in German, are discussed together. Country designations used in the entry correspond to contemporary boundaries. This entry discusses humor in its broadest meaning: from parody to satire to saynète (skit) to epigram to vaudeville to nonsense. It also includes literary and popular humor as well. Specifically, no attempt has been made to differentiate between humor and the comic.

Because of the great variety ...