S

John Limon
Duke University Press Durham and London 2000

tand-up Comedy in Theory, or, Abjection in America

The chapter Analytic of the Ridiculous is based on an essay that rst appeared in Raritan: A Quarterly Review 14, no. 3 (winter 1997). The chapter Journey to the End of the Night is based on an essay that rst appeared in Jx: A Journal in Culture and Criticism 1, no. 1 (autumn 1996). The chapter Nectarines is based on an essay that rst appeared in the Yale Journal of Criticism 10, no. 1 (spring 1997). 2000 Duke University Press All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper Typeset in Melior by Tseng Information Systems, Inc. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data appear on the last printed page of this book.

Contents
Introduction. Approximations, Apologies, Acknowledgments 1 1. Inrage: A Lenny Bruce Joke and the Topography of Stand-Up 11 2. Nectarines: Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks 28 3. Analytic of the Ridiculous: Mike Nichols and Elaine May 50 4. Journey to the End of the Night: David Letterman with Kristeva, Cline, Scorsese 68 5. Scatology: Richard Pryor in Concert 83 6. Skirting, Kidding: Ellen DeGeneres and Paula Poundstone 104 Notes 125 Works Cited 139 Index 145