Cover -- Half Title Page -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Original Title Page -- Original Copyright Page -- Contents -- General Editor's Preface -- Acknowledgements -- 1 Introduction -- 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 -- Select Bibliography -- Index