Philogelos
Philogelos (Ancient Greek: Φιλόγελως, "Love of Laughter"), also titled or subtitled The Jests of Hierocles and Philagrius, is the oldest surviving collection of jokes, originally written in Ancient Greek. Although it is the oldest surviving joke book, it is not the oldest collection ever known: Athenaeus wrote that Philip II of Macedon paid for a social club in Athens to write down its members' jokes, and at the beginning of the second century BC, Plautus twice has a character mentioning books of jokes.[1]
Composition[edit]
Authorship of the Philogelos is traditionally attributed to two comics named Hierocles and Philagrius, who otherwise have no attestation or other works outside of this one.[1] It has been posited that the Hierocles mentioned is Neoplatonist philosopher Hierocles of Alexandria, but there is little evidence to connect the two.[2]
The exact time of publication is unknown. According to William Berg, who published an English translation of it in 2008, the language used indicates that it may have been written in the fourth century AD.[3] Joke 62 directly mentions the Secular Games held by Philip the Arab marking the 1000th anniversary of the founding of Rome, implying that the jokes were collected after the year 248 AD.[4]
Contents[edit]
The Philogelos consists of 265 jokes categorized into subjects including dumb intellectuals (Ancient Greek: σχολᾰστῐκοί, "scholastics"), con men, sharp-tongues (Ancient Greek: εὐτράπελος), doctors and patients, teachers and students, and husbands and wives.[1][2] There are also ethnic jokes about Cumaeans, Sidonians, and Abderans, where they are stereotyped as unintelligent and literal-minded.[2]
Modern day[edit]
In 2008, British TV personality and comedian Jim Bowen tested the material on a modern audience.[5] One of the jokes in Philogelos has been described as "an ancestor of Monty Python's famous Dead Parrot comedy sketch."[3] Comedian Jimmy Carr has said that some of the jokes are "strikingly similar" to modern ones.[6]
The US National Museum of Language showcases a virtual exhibit, ‘‘Philogelos: The First Joke Book,” of cartoons created from translations of the Philogelos collection.[7]
See also[edit]
- Roman jokes
- Poetics (Aristotle), Aristotle discusses the nature of tragedy and comedy, but the book on the latter is lost.
References[edit]
- ^ a b c Quinn, John T. (2001). "45 Jokes from The Laughter Lover". Diotima. Archived from the original on 2016-07-21. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
- ^ a b c Laes, Christian (2005-09-18). "M. Andreassi, Le facezie del Philogelos. Barzellette antiche e umorismo moderno". Bryn Mawr Classical Review. Archived from the original on 2008-10-14. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
- ^ a b "Dead Parrot sketch ancestor found". BBC News. BBC. 2008-11-13. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
- ^ Jennings, Victoria (2001-06-05). "R.D. Dawe, Philogelos. München/Leipzig: K.G. Saur, 2000". Bryn Mawr Classical Review. Archived from the original on 2008-06-06. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
- ^ "What's the oldest surviving joke book in the world? « Stuart's World-Famous Compendopedia™". Archived from the original on 2016-04-22. Retrieved 2013-08-28.
- ^ "Dead Parrot sketch is 1,600 years old". 13 November 2008.
- ^ Thompson, Linda (2015-08-11). "The Philogelos: Cartoons from the World's Oldest Joke Book Exhibit". The National Museum of Language. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
Further reading[edit]
- The Philogelos or Laughter-Lover (London Studies in Classical Philology Series, 10) by Barry Baldwin 1983, ISBN 978-90-70265-45-8
- Philogelos: Hieroclis et Philagrii facetiae by A. Eberhard (1869) Berlin: H. Ebeling & C. Plahn
- Ἱεροκλέους και Φιλαγρίου (Hierokles kai Philagrios). G. Pachymeris declamationes XIII quarum XII ineditae, Hieroclis et Philagrii grammaticorum φιλόγελως longe maximam partem ineditus by Jean François Boissonade de Fontarabie (1848) Paris
- Philogelos, Antike Witze, Greek and German by Kai Brodersen Wiesbaden: Marix 2016, ISBN 978-3-7374-1038-0
External links[edit]
- Φιλόγελως, Bibliotheca Augustana, E-text (Greek)
- Philogelos: Hieroclis et Philagrii Facetiae, Google Books (Greek)
- 45 Jokes from The Laughter Lover
- The Jests of Hierocles and Philagrius, Internet Archive (English)
- Philogelos: The Laugh Addict: The World's Oldest Joke Book, Internet Archive (English)
- The World's Oldest Surviving Joke Book, with discussion of its authorship, context, style, and purpose
