Humor does get short-changed in the academic world. Probably because our culture devalues entertainment, and humor is too pleasurable to be good for you.

I really should read some more Aristophanes, because not much besides Lysistrata sees stage light. I’ve heard that some of his other stuff is actually better.

My goal is to see every Shakespeare play on stage. So far, the only English histories I’ve seen are Richard III and Henry IV Part I & II, though I have seen all of the Roman plays. The pleasure of seeing obscure Shakespeare is that you honestly don’t know what’s going to happen. Some of the plays are obscure because they’re not as good. And some, like Coriolanus, are gems. Great Shakespeare tragedy + excellent actors + never having the plot spoiled by your English teacher = awesome awesome awesome.

Its true what you say about comedy in performance, too. While I don’t necessarily have my ear to the ground about a lot of the smaller shows here, I have yet to even hear of any performances of Shakespeare’s histories. And as for Lysistrata, it’s kind of amazing that so much of the humor from that is still with us. I’ve not seen it performed, but it was something I went over in school.

One of the things that struck me about ukiyo-e and Japanese art in general was the somewhat base subject matter and humor that tends to be glossed over in a lot of texts. We looked at shunga a bit in school, but one of the images that stuck with me most was in Manga Manga, it showed a contest measuring penis length or strength, I can never quite remember. I just like the idea that some things appeal to everyone, regardless of time or culture. Lysistrata is another good example of the same thing.

The longest-lasting comedy I can think of is Lysistrata, which is not a novel at all. I’ve seen Lysistrata performed three times, and it’s not because I made any effort to see so many times. Theater comedy tends to last quite well, since good actors can always make good material funny. In fact, even Shakespeare’s lesser-known comedies such as Two Gentlemen of Verona and All’s Well that Ends Well are more popular than, say, Richard II or Coriolanus. In fact, in the past five years, both Two Gentlemen and All’s Well have each seen more local productions than, um, Hamlet (now that I said that, seven theatres are going to put on Hamlet next year).

Jacques the Fatalist is a story about a butler driving with his master while telling him the story of his love life, with various people and their stories interrupting them along the way, and I’m not sure that they ever get where they’re going. The humor, the two characters, and the various incidental and meandering things that happen sound very much like elements that Yoshinaga would use in her stories. I’d only heard of it because I sort of enjoy reading (or reading about) humorous novels that age well. Their existence is sort of a paradox to me, since I associate classic literature with the very serious people that tend to study and read it. Plus, it’s just interesting to see what’s still in print after all these years since the idea of humor changes so much over time. Timeless jokes are very special indeed.

I have never heard of Jacques the Fatalist.

The disconnect from the food is sort of the problem I have with Oishinbo too, especially the one I just read on sake.

Ooku is a good series to break your rule for. I’m not sure what kind of schedule Viz will have for it, but I know it only comes out around one volume a year in Japan, so Viz will probably take a bit of time to release the current four volumes. I think they licensed All My Darling Daughters too, which I’m very excited about. I’m very excited to read anything by her, though.

Amusingly, it seems like she did illustrations (or at least the cover) for a new Japanese edition of Jacques the Fatalist, which I’ve always kind of wanted to read for its strange-sounding humor. I never really thought about it, but it sounds quite a bit like something that she would have drawn inspiration from.

I do have one issue with Antique Bakery. I no longer regard dairy or egg products as food. Therefore they might as well be describing the deliciousness of newspapers as far as I’m concerned. It’s not fun to read, and I had to start skimming the sections about food.

Fortunately, “gay of demonic charm” definitely makes up for the food business.