The National Joker: Abraham Lincoln and the Politics of Satire

"Todd Nathan Thompson's valuable study provides what no previous scholar has attempted: a careful, illuminating study of Lincoln's adroit and compelling uses of satire. The author clearly demonstrates, thoughtfully and convincingly, that Lincoln's familiar humor often had larger political and rhetorical purposes. A useful examination that presents an even more complex Lincoln."-- Richard W. Etulain, author of Lincoln and Oregon Country Politics in the Civil War Era

"In this illuminating and subtle study, Thompson shows that Abraham Lincoln brilliantly used self-effacing humor and stories to advance his political cause. The National Joker is an important book that anyone interested in America's greatest president should read."--David S. Reynolds, editor of Lincoln's Selected Writings: A Norton Critical Edition

"Thompson has produced a shrewd and sophisticated study of the way in which Lincoln used humor, including self-deprecating, for strategic and often satirical purposes. The National Joker is a valuable contribution to Lincoln studies."--Richard Striner, author of Father Abraham: Lincoln's Relentless Struggle to End Slavery

"Lincoln's contemporaries best recognized his rhetorical powers through his sense of humor, which became legendary. Thompson's new book, The National Joker: Abraham Lincoln and the Politic of Satire, demonstrates just how shrewd and purposeful the president's sense of humor was. . .A strength of Thompson's book is that he shows not only how Lincoln used satire, but how it was used on him- and how Lincoln responded in turn. Lincoln was one of the most complex individuals in the nation's history, and Thompson is exploring one of his most sophisticated and fascinating (and largely unexplored) facets. Best of all, Thompson does so in a way that sheds light on the entire panorama of Lincoln's times. His insightful look at Lincoln, then, proves to be an insightful look at America." -Chris Mackowski, author of Grant's Last Battle: The Story Behind the Personal Memoirs of Ulysses S. Grant

"[Thompson's] book...is crammed with insight. He knows his satirists, and the Civil War had them, thick as brevet generals." --Mark Wahlgren Summers, The Annuals of Iowa

"Thompson's analysis is a quick but fascinating read, filled with political cartoons that illustrate how Lincoln was portrayed, vilified, and reimagined by the press." --Journal of Illinois History

"What sets The National Joker apart is its exploration of precisely how Lincoln leveraged his depiction in the press for political gain. As Thompson establishes Lincoln's comic sense, he supports each of his assertions with numerous examples, offers concise historical and political context, and presents the anecdote or punch-line along with an analysis of the comic function and political outcome of each of Lincoln's little stories." --Project MUSE

"Thomson shows us how Lincoln continually outpaced his opponents, using his frontier wit and comic homespun caricature to outmaneuver the press and win his way to the White House. No other American president before or since has so deftly used satire to elevate himself in the eyes of the electorate. That he did so when the nation was at war with itself, grieving over the loss of a generation of Americans, and when the Union, Confederate, and British press gave him little reason to laugh, is a testament to his resilience, and to the power of a good sense of humor. " --William Furry, Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society

"As Thompson shows in his study, the freakishly tall man with unkempt hair, homely face, ill-fitting clothes, and a rustic way of speaking admitted his own shortcomings freely and with infectious good humor. Consciously or unconsciously, he turned satire against itself. Satire works best against those who hide behind their social prestige; however, Lincoln embraced his low-class status. His political image--the common man; roughhewn and self-made--resonated with the American public. This well-written book is recommended for students of Lincolniana, political cartoons, and propaganda." --Stephen Curley, Texas A&M University at Galveston

"Thomposon analyzes the dialectic between the president's use of satire and the way satricial works depicted him. Exploring political cartoons, peroidicals, joke books, and campaign literature, Thompson examines the way Lincoln shifted jokes from the realm of humor into the realm of satire by using apolitical stories allegorically to describe political situations."--Shaun Horton, American Literature

Arguing that Lincoln was "adept not only at using satire but also at deflecting it," Thompson analyzes the dialectic between the
president's use of satire and the way satirical works depicted him. Exploring political cartoons, periodicals, jokebooks, and campaign literature, Thompson examines the way Lincoln shifted jokes from the realm of humor into the realm of satire by using apolitical stories allegorically to describe political situations."--Todd Nathan Thompson, American Literature