In European medieval marginalia you get a lot of dick jokes, as well as weird sex and people sticking things up bums but farts don't come up that often. Of course fart jokes exist, because monks...
My personal theory on the fart scrolls is that some east Asian cultures have an interest in 'wind' - not wind as in farts, but 'wind' as a component of the body and health, similar to the European concept of 'humours' of the body. 'Bad air' can make you ill and so on, so I suspect there's a connection there. It is, of course, hilarious as well, and maybe that's enough.
I don't think this needs to be over analysed. It's schoolboy humour about stinky farts, probably done when people were bored, or doodling while on the toilet.
I don't think this needs to be over analysed. It's schoolboy humour about stinky farts, probably done when people were bored, or doodling while on the toilet.
Everything fits in to, and is a product of, the culture that created it. Sometimes it's interesting to think a bit about how that works. Some of these scrolls weren't schoolboy doodles, they were...
Everything fits in to, and is a product of, the culture that created it. Sometimes it's interesting to think a bit about how that works. Some of these scrolls weren't schoolboy doodles, they were created by respected, accomplished Ukiyo-e artists - obviously it is toilet humour but they chose that thing to paint that thing, not another thing, for a reason.
I think it can be interesting, and illuminating, to ask why something exists and the context in which it was created - whether that thing is 'Guernica' or a fart joke. Obviously there's rather more mileage in analysing Picasso's greatest work than a drawing of a dude farting a cat into the air, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to be learned from it.
I agree with broader point you're making. I just think trying to overthink fart drawings isn't necessary. Bodily functions are endless sources of amusement, and my own take on this is these were...
I agree with broader point you're making.
I just think trying to overthink fart drawings isn't necessary. Bodily functions are endless sources of amusement, and my own take on this is these were the equivalent of thr Viz Magazine of its time.
Ah, but Viz itself is worthy of analysis, because while it is fart jokes, there's it's not just fart jokes. Viz is making a point and it's a product of it's environment and culture, just like...
Ah, but Viz itself is worthy of analysis, because while it is fart jokes, there's it's not just fart jokes. Viz is making a point and it's a product of it's environment and culture, just like anything.
I mean have you read Drunken Bakers? It's absolutely brutal. Even Chekhov would think it's a bit dark! While I enjoy the whole magazine, the reason I have a subscription is purely for that strip.
In European medieval marginalia you get a lot of dick jokes, as well as weird sex and people sticking things up bums but farts don't come up that often. Of course fart jokes exist, because monks and scribes are only human and farts are hilarious (don't ask me why so many people are fighting snails though).
My personal theory on the fart scrolls is that some east Asian cultures have an interest in 'wind' - not wind as in farts, but 'wind' as a component of the body and health, similar to the European concept of 'humours' of the body. 'Bad air' can make you ill and so on, so I suspect there's a connection there. It is, of course, hilarious as well, and maybe that's enough.
I don't think this needs to be over analysed. It's schoolboy humour about stinky farts, probably done when people were bored, or doodling while on the toilet.
Everything fits in to, and is a product of, the culture that created it. Sometimes it's interesting to think a bit about how that works. Some of these scrolls weren't schoolboy doodles, they were created by respected, accomplished Ukiyo-e artists - obviously it is toilet humour but they chose that thing to paint that thing, not another thing, for a reason.
I think it can be interesting, and illuminating, to ask why something exists and the context in which it was created - whether that thing is 'Guernica' or a fart joke. Obviously there's rather more mileage in analysing Picasso's greatest work than a drawing of a dude farting a cat into the air, but that doesn't mean there's nothing to be learned from it.
I agree with broader point you're making.
I just think trying to overthink fart drawings isn't necessary. Bodily functions are endless sources of amusement, and my own take on this is these were the equivalent of thr Viz Magazine of its time.
Ah, but Viz itself is worthy of analysis, because while it is fart jokes, there's it's not just fart jokes. Viz is making a point and it's a product of it's environment and culture, just like anything.
I mean have you read Drunken Bakers? It's absolutely brutal. Even Chekhov would think it's a bit dark! While I enjoy the whole magazine, the reason I have a subscription is purely for that strip.