1 What’s Practical about Practical Jokes?

Chapters in this book

1. Front Matter i
2. Contents vii
3. Figures ix
4. Acknowledgments xi
5. Introduction 1
6. What’s Practical about Practical Jokes? 8
7. The Types of the Practical Joke 21
8. The Great Drug Bust 31
9. Lies, Damned Lies, and Legends 45
10. The (Im)morality of the Practical Joke 57
11. All Jokes Are Bad if They Are Any Good 72
12. The Rhetoric of Humor Support 84
13. “That Was Why We Were Such Good Mates” 100
14. Pranks, Rituals, and Hazing 116
15. Pranks in Public 134
16. Some Practical Jokers 152
17. Post-Play 171
18. References 176
19. About the Author 187
20. Index 188
21. Index of Practical Joke Examples 195