Author: ORCID

Abstract: »Jokes about sexual violence are inherently subjective. For many, the topic is never an appropriate subject for humour, but there remain those who do laugh at jokes framed around rape narratives. Using a model of Incongruity Theory developed by T.C. Veatch, this paper explores why rape jokes are perceived as funny by some individuals. Aristophanes frequently uses themes of sexual violence in his plays but contrary to expectation, extended scenes which involve rape humour tend to be undermined by other incongruities. The victim of Aristophanic sexual assault may be a man rather than the expected woman, or may be isolated from the actualisation of threats by the staging, or so on. Even an audience made up exclusively or predominantly of ancient Greek men may have resisted simplistic, unmediated rape jokes, and so Aristophanes tends to avoid such humour.« (Source: Bloomsbury Collections)

Review: Dixon, Dustin. The Journal of Hellenic Studies (April 28, 2023) - Full Text: Cambridge Core (Restricted Access)

Wikipedia: Ancient history: Ancient Greece | Literature: Ancient Greek literature / Aristophanes | Literature: Rape in fiction / The Acharnians, Assemblywomen, The Birds, Thesmophoriazusae | Sex and the law: Rape / History of rape, Rape culture