1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910827356203321

Autore

Laude Patrick <1958->

Titolo

Divine play, sacred laughter, and spiritual understanding / / by Patrick Laude

Pubbl/distr/stampa

New York, : Palgrave Macmillan, 2005

ISBN

1-281-36874-1

9786611368746

1-4039-8058-6

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (280 p.)

Disciplina

202/.1

Soggetti

Laughter - Religious aspects

Wit and humor - Religious aspects

Religion

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. [263]-270) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Cover; Table of Contents; Acknowledgments; Introduction; 1 Mâyâ and the Divine Treasure; 2 Ambiguity of the Demiurge; 3 Dionysus, Shiva, Osiris; 4 Divine Troublemakers; 5 Coyote and Kin; 6 Reading the Trickster's Footsteps; 7 Thundering Clowns; 8 Spiritual Laughter; 9 Fools for Christ's Sake; 10 The People of Blame; 11 Fools on a Tightrope; 12 Epilogue: Cracks of Light; Notes; Bibliography; Index

Sommario/riassunto

This study in the relationship between religion and the comic focuses on the ways in which the latter fulfils a central function in the sacred understanding of reality of pre-modern cultures and the spiritual life of religious traditions. The central thesis is that figures such as tricksters, sacred clowns, and holy fools play an essential role in bridging the gap between the divine and the human by integrating the element of disequilibrium that results from the contact between incommensurable realities. This interdisciplinary and cross-cultural series of essays is devoted to spiritual, anthropological, and literary characters and phenomena that point to a deeper understanding of the various mythological, ceremonial, and mystical ways in which the fundamental ambiguity of existence is symbolized and acted out. Given its interdisciplinary and cross-cultural perspective, this volume will appeal



to scholars from a variety of fields.