Powerful Laughter in Twelfth-Century Narrative

Chapter 2 explores laughter’s development as a uniquely transformative force in twelfth-century chronicles, histories, and hagiographies. Specifically, the chapter considers three recurring narrative motifs: risus mysticus, a prophetic laughter associated with mystical visions and holy knowledge; risus blasphemus, a type of irreverent laughter for which figures were punished by instant death or disfigurement; and risus regalis, a motif of sovereign laughter in which powerful figures displayed the superiority of their leadership skills through wit and humor. In tracing the development of these types during the mid-1100s, the chapter argues that laughter was transformed from an insignificant marginal detail into an important symbol of power and transcendence in the literary imagination. Crucially, laughter’s power eventually came to be extended to charismatic leadership, with authors connecting the laughter of kings and popes with images of their unassailable authority.