Editor’s Introduction

Arien Mack Editor’s Introduction THE CONCEPTS “ PO LITICS” AND “ COMEDY,” WHEN BROUGHT together, cover a rich and multifaceted terrain that includes, at a mini­ mum, satire, caricature, cartoons, parody, and a wide assortment of jokes that emerge from literature, the visual arts, the realm of enter­ tainment and the media—not to mention directly from politics itself. This issue seeks to explore the many ways in which comedy, under­ stood in this encompassing manner, figures in political life, where it can serve as a safety valve and a way of maintaining the status quo, and how it can subvert, persuade, educate, reconcile and, at times, make survival more bearable. By looking at the past roles comedy has played in political life, we hope to better understand whether the remarkable power that satirizing the news seems to have on our political life today is in any sense a new phenomenon and, if so, to determine what factors are responsible for its distinctiveness. Certainly during the last US presidential election, comedy seemed to have played a catalytic role and perhaps even was partially respon­ sible for the defeat of McCain-Palin. This time around, in the new elec­ tion year, it is difficult to imagine that, in this respect at least, history will not repeat itself, especially when without any help from satirists, the Republican primaiy candidates already seem like cartoon characters. So, while the role of comedy in political life has never been triv­ ial, it seems currently to possess a noteworthy power and therefore we deemed it ripe for reexamination. The papers in this issue cover a great deal of ground: from Greek comedies, with a special focus on Aristophanes, to the role of humor during the 45 years of commu­ nism, to Lenny Bruce, to the character of feminist political humor, to Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart, and even a currently working politi­ cal cartoonist. Editor’s Introduction xvii ...