The Semiotics of Clowns and Clowning

Rituals of Transgression and the Theory of Laughter

Paul Bouissac

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Year: 2015
• Print ISBN:
  9781472532787
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9781472531117
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Linguistic Semantics
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

During the last 300 years circus clowns have emerged as powerful cultural icons. This is the first semiotic analysis of the range of make-up and costumes through which the clowns' performing identities have been established and go on developing. It also examines what Bouissac terms 'micronarratives' - narrative meanings that clowns generate through their acts, dialogues and gestures.

Putting a repertory of clown performances under the semiotic microscope leads to the conclusion that the performances are all interconnected and come from what might be termed a 'mythical matrix'. These micronarratives replicate in context-sensitive forms a master narrative whose general theme refers to the emergence of cultures and constraints that they place upon instinctual behaviour.

From this vantage point, each performance can be considered as a ritual which re-enacts the primitive violence inherent in all cultures and the temporary resolutions which must be negotiated as the outcome. Why do these acts of transgression and re-integration then trigger laughter and wonder? What kind of mirror does this put up to society? In a masterful semiotic analysis, Bouissac delves into decades of research to answer these questions.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• Introduction
• 1 The Faces of the Clown
• 2 The Costumes of the Clowns
• 3 The Clown’s Workshop
• 4 The Semiotics of Gags
• 5 The Game of the Rules
• 6 Clown and Trickster
• 7 Clowns and Gender Play: The Politics and Economics of Sex
• 8 Clowns, Death, and Laughter
• 9 Profaning the Sacred: The Saga of the Clown
• 10 Clowns without Borders
• Conclusion: Contribution to the Theory of Laughter
• References
• Index