Frontmatter and Editorial

In lieu of an abstract, here is the first paragraph of the editorial: The second issue of "Gender and Humour" deals with effects of current phenomena of comic genres, above all with regard to literature and the popular media. Several of the essays investigate in particular the changes in gendered perceptions of humour within modernism, often highlighting the differences in the socio-political climate of the 1920s and '30s compared to later decades. Margaret Stetz here revisits Max Beerbohm's initial adoration and gradual rejection of Rebecca West, who in turn let go of her anger against his condescending ways in her essay collection Ending in Earnest (1931). Stetz interprets West's narrator as one who laughs in support of women, particularly modern, career-oriented women, relegating Beerbohm to an outdated past generation.