Learning through Laughter in Phaedrus' Fabulae

Classics Monday, February 4, 2019 3:00 pm - 3:00 pm

The fable-writer Phaedrus, a poet of the early first century CE, promises that his fables offer a double dowry: they excite laughter, and they teach life lessons. In this talk, Dr. Kristin Mann demonstrates that the two halves of this double dowry are connected: fables teach lessons because they excite laughter. What's more, Phaedrus promises that teaching through laughter allows the fabulist to safely criticize the behavior of anyone--even those in power--through the guise of joking. Such is the power of Phaedrus' double dowry.

Add to Calendar 02/04/19 15:00:00 02/04/19 15:00:00 America/New_York Learning through Laughter in Phaedrus' Fabulae

The fable-writer Phaedrus, a poet of the early first century CE, promises that his fables offer a double dowry: they excite laughter, and they teach life lessons. In this talk, Dr. Kristin Mann demonstrates that the two halves of this double dowry are connected: fables teach lessons because they excite laughter. What's more, Phaedrus promises that teaching through laughter allows the fabulist to safely criticize the behavior of anyone--even those in power--through the guise of joking. Such is the power of Phaedrus' double dowry.

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