i-vi -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- Chapter 1. Introduction: Jokes, humor, and taste -- Part I. Style and social background -- Chapter 2. The joke: Genesis of an oral genre -- Chapter 3. Joke telling as communication style -- Chapter 4. The humor divide: Class, age, and humor styles -- Chapter 5. The logic of humor styles -- Part II. Taste and quality -- Chapter 6. The repertoire: Dutch joke culture -- Chapter 7. Temptation and transgression -- Chapter 8. Sense and sociability -- Part III. Comparing humor styles -- Chapter 9. National humor styles: Joke telling and social background in the United States -- Chapter 10. Conclusion: Sociology and the joke -- Appendix 1. The jokes used in the Dutch survey -- Appendix 2. Dutch humorists and television programs -- Notes -- References -- Index