Sunday 25 March 2012

The Pun Also Rises

Finished March 22
The Pun Also Rises: how the humble pun revolutionized language, changed history, and made wordplay more than some antics by John Pollack, read by Pete Larkin
This is more than just a history of puns, it is a history of language, a history of humour, and shows that social changes over the centuries around this form of humour. Puns are rich in the use of language and that is both the appeal and the fun of them. But because they play with language, puns are also seen as a threat by some. They've definitely been used subversively and politically and have been a tool of social and political change. They are also a great tool for literacy and language learning. A few puns are included here, but the book is more about the history. Having a punster for a father, I've grown up with puns, and found the book very interesting.

2 comments:

  1. This sounds like a must read for my sons, who are always bombarding me with puns.

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  2. Yes, I'm thinking my dad should get a copy too.

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