Comparing Roman Humor to Modern Jokes
Jokes are one of the oldest ways of entertaining people. However, in addition to fun, jokes can carry a deeper meaning and notes of satire on current topics. “Philogelos” is one of the oldest collections that has survived to the present and is valuable for research. By studying this book, people can draw a parallel between the way jokes were created then and now and gain awareness of the Romans’ sense of humor.
No doubt, humor has experienced many transformations throughout how times and societies have changed. It is noted that “the Greek language was exact and taken very literally, so any play on words or deviation from logical common sense had the Greeks rolling around in stitches” (Crompton, 2011, p. XI). Thus, this becomes the main difference between many jokes of those times, which can now be taken more seriously than they should.
Idiots
I was primarily interested in the part called “Idiots” since I thought this word could not exist in ancient times. When reading jokes like “Did you hear the one about the idiot who nearly drowned? He vowed never to go into the water again until he learned to swim:” I could not make sense of it” (Crompton, 2011, p. 1). I understood the essence of this statement. Still, it did not seem funny to me. Many jokes in this section have a similar structure. Almost all begin with “an idiot is selling his horse,” “an idiot has his tonsils removed,“ or “an idiot sees his local doctor“ (Crompton, 2011, p. 3). This shows that the ancient Romans liked to adhere to the general form of creating jokes when, in modern society, humor is more based on transferring to personal experience.
Drunks
Another section that piqued my interest is the part called “Drunks.“ The joke that read, “A drunk inherited a vineyard–but the harvest season killed him,“ seemed funny because it is similar to modern humor (Crompton, 2011, p. 125). Some seemed too flat to me, like about a drunk who joked that his wife was dead. He replied, “In that case, barman, I think you had better pour me a drink“ (p. 125). It is worth noting that most of the jokes presented in this collection are based on people’s daily lives. For example, drunks drink wine or joke about how “a fat gym teacher spies a loaf of bread“ (Crompton, 2011, p. 118). It can be concluded that people then and now are similar in that their humor is based on everyday aspects and everyday life.
Kymaeans
While studying the chapter “Kymaeans,“ I noticed how the Romans loved to make fun of other people. In this part, Kymaeans are exposed as thieves or stupid, which is given most of the jokes. The authors write, “Did you hear the one about the Kymaean thief who went to steal from a moneylender’s house?“ or “Did you hear the one about the Kymaean who bought stolen clothes?“ (Crompton, 2011, p. 89). Such a manifestation of disrespect for others is less popular now, but sometimes, people can meet comedians who base their humor on these concepts.
Reference
Crompton, D. (2011). The World’s oldest joke book: Hundreds of hilariously terrible ancient jokes. Sourcebooks.