Christianity and the Triumph of Humor - From Dante to David Javerbaum (Hardcover)

This book traces the development of religious comedy and leverages that history to justify today's uses of religious humor in all of its manifestations, including irreverent jokes. It argues that regulating humor is futile and counterproductive, illustrating this point with a host of comedic examples. Humor is a powerful rhetorical tool for those who advocate and for those who satirize religious ideals. The book presents a compelling argument about the centrality of humor to the story of Western Christianity's cultural and artistic development since the Middle Ages, taking a multi-disciplinary approach that combines literary criticism, religious studies, philosophy, theology, and social science. After laying out the conceptual framework in Part 1, Part 2 analyzes key works of religious comedy across the ages from Dante to the present, and it samples the breadth of contemporary religious humor from Brad Stine to Robin Williams, and from Monty Python to South Park. Using critical, historical, and conceptual lenses, the book exposes and overturns past attempts by church authorities, scholars, and commentators to limit and control laughter based on religious, ideological, or moral criteria. This is a unique look into the role of humor and comedy around religion. It will, therefore, appeal to readers interested in multiple fields of inquiry, including religious studies, humor studies, the history of ideas, and comparative literature.

General

Imprint:	Routledge
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Series:	Routledge New Critical Thinking in Religion, Theology and Biblical Studies
Release date:	July 2019
First published:	2020
Authors:	Bernard Schweizer
Dimensions:	234 x 156 x 20mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	244
ISBN-13:	978-0-367-18510-7
Categories:	Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > General Books > Reference & Interdisciplinary > Interdisciplinary studies > Cultural studies > Popular culture Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Christianity > General Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Social institutions > General Books > Humanities > Philosophy > Topics in philosophy > Ethics & moral philosophy > Practical & applied ethics Books > Philosophy > Topics in philosophy > Ethics & moral philosophy > Practical & applied ethics Books > Religion & Spirituality > Christianity > General Books > Christianity Promotions
LSN:	0-367-18510-5
Barcode:	9780367185107

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