Introduction
In 1579, Stephen Gosson wrote School of Abuse, accusing Elizabethan theatre of being a frivolous and bawdy distraction from England’s serious social problems. Some three years later, Sir Philip Sidney replied with An Apologie for Poetrie, a gentle defence of the drama; but even he could find little to say for comedians who thought that anything that raised a laugh was entertainment.
Original spelling.
Our Comedians thinke there is no delight without laughter; which is very wrong, for though laughter may come with delight, yet commeth it not of delight, as though delight should be the cause of laughter; but well may one thing breed both together: nay, rather in themselues they haue, as it were, a kind of contrarietie: for delight we scarcely doe but in things that haue a conueniencie to our selues or to the generall nature: laughter almost euer commeth of things most disproportioned to our selues and nature. Delight hath a ioy in it, either permanent or present. Laughter hath onely a scornful tickling. For example, we are rauished with delight to see a faire woman, and yet are far from being moued to laughter. We laugh at deformed creatures,* wherein certainely we cannot delight. We delight in good chaunces, we laugh at mischaunces; we delight to heare the happines of our friends, or Country, at which he were worthy to be laughed at that would laugh; wee shall, contrarily, laugh sometimes to finde a matter quite mistaken and goe downe the hill agaynst the byas,* in the mouth of some such men, as for the respect of them one shalbe hartely sorry, yet he cannot chuse but laugh; and so is rather pained then delighted with laughter.
* It will be apparent from what he says shortly, that Sidney does not think that such laughter is defensible; he is saying that those who laugh at wretchedness do not laugh for joy, but from scorn.
* ‘Against the bias’ is a term taken from tailoring, meaning to cut across the cloth at a 45-degree angle, that is, along neither the warp nor the weft. Sidney is imagining a comedy of errors going downhill not straight, but tobogganing along in a pitiable yet hilarious zig or zag. You have to laugh, but the laughter is not unkind because the sufferer has our respect and sympathy; and for Sidney, it was one of the proper aims of drama to excite noble feelings like these.
Précis
Responding to Stephen Gosson’s attack on Elizabethan theatre, Philip Sidney admitted that some contemporary comedy failed to discern when laughter was appropriate on stage. Laughing at something, he said, was not the same as delighting in it. Delight thrives on harmony, laughter on incongruity; and even when the stimulus for laughter is harmless, it is still a kind of pain. (60 / 60 words)
Responding to Stephen Gosson’s attack on Elizabethan theatre, Philip Sidney admitted that some contemporary comedy failed to discern when laughter was appropriate on stage. Laughing at something, he said, was not the same as delighting in it. Delight thrives on harmony, laughter on incongruity; and even when the stimulus for laughter is harmless, it is still a kind of pain.
Variations: 1.increase the length of this precis to exactly 65 words. 2.reduce the length of this precis to exactly 55 words. 3.introduce one of the following words into the precis: although, because, besides, if, just, since, unless, whereas.
Word Games
Sevens Based on this passage
Suggest answers to this question. See if you can limit one answer to exactly seven words.
Variations: 1.expand your answer to exactly fourteen words. 2.expand your answer further, to exactly twenty-one words. 3.include one of the following words in your answer: if, but, despite, because, (al)though, unless.
Jigsaws Based on this passage
Express the ideas below in a single sentence, using different words as much as possible. Do not be satisfied with the first answer you think of; think of several, and choose the best.
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