The aim of the present bibliography is to provide the student of metaphor with an up-to-date and comprehensive (albeit not exhaustive) overview of recent publications dealing with various aspects of metaphor in a variety of disciplines. Where the emphasis is primarily on specific works “about” metaphor, mainly in philosophy, linguistics, and psychology, the list has been supplemented with references to studies where metaphor is explicitly recognized as an instrument of research or analysis (e.g., in literature, or in the elaboration of scientific and religious models) or where its use is illustrated.

Much of today's communication is carried out through various kinds of humor, and we therefore need to be able to understand its many aspects. Here, two of the world's leading pioneers in humor studies, Alleen and Don Nilsen, explore how humor can be explained across the numerous sub-disciplines of linguistics. Drawing on examples from language play and jokes in a range of real-life contexts, such as art, business, marketing, comedy, creative writing, science, journalism and politics, the authors use their own theory of 'Features, functions and subjects of Humor' to analyze humor across all disciplines. Each highly accessible chapter uses a rich array of examples to stimulate discussion and interaction even in large classes. Supplemental PowerPoints to accompany each of the 25 chapters are available online, taking many of the insights from the chapters for further interactional discussions with students.

Volume 10, dedicated to 'Comedy, Irony, Parody', celebrates the first decade of Comparative Criticism in a light-hearted vein. Michael Silk opens with a wide-ranging essay asserting the primacy of comedy and declaring its independence of tragedy. T. L. S. Sprigge explores philosophers who dared to write on laughter: Schopenhauer and Bergson. Bernard Harrison looks at the twentieth century's favourite comic novel, Tristram Shandy, in the light of Locke's views on 'the particular'. Peter Brand pursues the theatrical arts of disguises, masking, and gender-swapping through Renaissance Europe, from Ariosto to Shakespeare. Jane H. M. Taylor traces the danse macabre in modern 'black humour'. Christine Brooke-Rose, distinguished novelist and critic, reads from and comments on her own witty fictions. Michael Wood describes how Lolita outwitted her seducer.

Oscar Wilde's wit is foundational to his works, from his plays and novels to his self-defense at his trials. This book is a comprehensive account of Oscar Wilde's wit that focuses on discovering reasons for his critical success and ongoing legacy.