Humor and Irony in Italian American Culture

Humor and Irony in Italian American Culture reveals a rich but understudied comedic tradition: the ways US Americans of Italian descent have used humor to preserve their heritage, project their fears, and negotiate their relationship to mainstream American culture. The book historicizes, documents, and interprets humor across literature, music, film, political cartoons, and stand-up comedy from the late nineteenth century to the present. It begins with the dreams and anxieties of Italian immigrants, examining how they were caricatured in the writings of Henry James, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Mark Twain, among others, as well as in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century cartoons. It then turns to performers and writers such as Eduardo Migliaccio, George Panetta, and Augusto Lentricchia, who used humor to defend Italian immigrant identity against stereotype and assimilationist pressure. Subsequent chapters trace the development of humor and irony in the work of the children and grandchildren of immigrants, before considering the media renaissance that began in the 1990s, when Italian Americans increasingly shaped their own representations in mass culture. Locating a tradition that is often more reactionary than revolutionary, based more in family than in institutions, and oriented more toward the mainstream than the margins, this book makes a significant contribution to humor studies, irony studies, and Italian American studies. It will be of particular interest to scholars and students in these fields, while remaining accessible to readers interested in comedy.