Review : Canned laughter

Peter Berger tackles one of the further reaches of sociology in Redeeming
Laughter. The meaning of redeeming he has most in mind is religious, but it is
not crystal-clear how this concept fits into the whole. Defining humour is a
hard job and dissecting what people find funny is not itself amusing to read.
Ultimately, it may even be futile. Reading this may test your sense of humour.
Published by Walter de Gruyter, £13, ISBN 3110155621.