Philip Thomson, 
Monash University
Australia

The Critical Idiom Series

London: Methuen, 1972

Online version by David Lavery

This book appears on the web with the kind permission of Dr. Thomson.

2 The Term and Concept 'Grotesque': A Historical Summary

3 Towards a Definition
Disharmony | The Comic and the Terrifying | Extravagance and Exaggeration | Abnormality | A Definition | The Satiric and the Playful Grotesque

4  The Grotesque and Related Terms and Modes
The Absurd | The Bizarre | The Macabre | Caricature | Parody | Satire | Irony | The Comic

5 Functions and Purposes of the Grotesque
Aggressiveness and Alienation | The Psychological Effect | Tension and Unresolvability | "Playfulness" | The Unintentional Grotesque

Bibliography

Index