03288nam 2200649Ia 450 991045056260332120200520144314.01-281-36874-197866113687461-4039-8058-610.1057/9781403980588(CKB)1000000000342691(EBL)307750(OCoLC)560468890(SSID)ssj0000140332(PQKBManifestationID)11132466(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000140332(PQKBWorkID)10053267(PQKB)10215658(DE-He213)978-1-4039-8058-8(MiAaPQ)EBC307750(Au-PeEL)EBL307750(CaPaEBR)ebr10135667(CaONFJC)MIL136874(EXLCZ)99100000000034269120050209d2005 uy 0engur|n|---|||||txtccrDivine play, sacred laughter, and spiritual understanding[electronic resource] /by Patrick Laude1st ed.New York Palgrave Macmillan20051 online resource (280 p.)Description based upon print version of record.1-349-53173-1 1-4039-7015-7 Includes bibliographical references (p. [263]-270) and index.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; IndexThis 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.LaughterReligious aspectsWit and humorReligious aspectsReligionHumorElectronic books.LaughterReligious aspects.Wit and humorReligious aspects.Religion202/.1Laude Patrick1958-971176MiAaPQMiAaPQMiAaPQBOOK9910450562603321Divine play, sacred laughter, and spiritual understanding2207678UNINA