Serious Frolic: Essays On Australian Humour

The Age

Saturday January 3, 2009

Thuy On, Reviewer

Serious Frolic: Essays on Australian Humour

Eds., Fran De Groen and Peter Kirkpatrick

University of Queensland Press, $39.95

EDITORS Fran De Groen and Peter Kirkpatrick readily admit to "the paradox of writing in an unfunny way about funny things" but note there's little by way of scholarly analysis of Australian humour. Serious Frolic fills the gap admirably. Divided into five sections that address classic texts, humour and culture, fiction, parody and performance, the book spans more than a century.

Some pieces provide an overview, for instance Jessica Milner Davis' essay on joking as an acculturating ritual, while others focus on specific texts, such as Elizabeth Webby's on literary parodies of 1820-1850. The usual suspects are treated with due reverence: Ginger Meggs, Ern Malley, Dame Edna.

Unexpected delights include Peter Pierce's insightful look into the provenance of horses' names and Lillian Holt's discussion of Aboriginal humour. Elsewhere, Susan Lever laments the paucity of quality Australian sitcoms - with the exception of Mother and Son and Kath and Kim. There's comment on colonial satire, larrikin and bushman humour, ethnic humour and survivor humour. Embedded in the essays are jokes, parodies and other examples of humour. Notable omissions include Summer Heights High and the Working Dog team responsible for The Hollowmen.

© 2009 The Age

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