Scholar examines comedy, from the ancient Greeks to the present, through recurring elements and themes: the physical body, marriage, pain,…
the humdrum of existence, death. Discusses the idea that comedy and tragedy are not true opposites; comedy presupposes rather than precludes tragedy. 2013.
Geographer offers a synthesis of the extraordinarily important part played by rivers in human history and culture. Examples--including the Amazon,…
the Danube, the Ganges, and the Mississippi--are provided from every continent. Explores the science of river flow and flood control, rivers in mythology and literature, and rivers' role in commerce. 2012