Download or read book Redeeming Laughter written by Peter L. Berger and published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. This book was released on 2014-10-14 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Amid the variety of human experiences, the comic occupies a distinctive place. It is simultaneously ubiquitous, relative, and fragile. In this book, Peter L. Berger reflects on the nature of the comic and its relationship to other human experiences. Berger contends that the comic is an integral aspect of human life, yet one that must be approached and analyzed circumspectly and circuitously. Beginning with an exploration of the anatomy of the comic, Berger addresses humor in philosophy, physiology, psychology, and the social sciences before turning to a discussion of different types of comedy and finally suggesting a theology of the comic in terms of its relationship to folly, redemption, and transcendence. Along the way, the reader is treated to a variety of jokes on a variety of topics, with particular emphasis on humor and its relationship to religion. Originally published in 1997, the second edition includes a new preface reflecting on Berger’s work in the intervening years, particularly on the relationship between humor and modernity.

Download or read book Laughter in a Time of Turmoil written by Richard P. Olson and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2012-04-11 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Here's a different angle on humor--it can be a spiritual practice, an expression of a theology of joy, hope, and grace. Humor is so valuable, for it offers self-care, healing, and renewal, precious gifts in times of pressure and tension. Olson begins by telling of three unforgettable friends who lived their lives with joy and zest--a practice that opened doors and aided their own sense of well-being. Playfully, he continues by exploring the known benefits of humor. Next considered is the amazing variety of humor in the Bible, a basic theology of a laughing God, and the caring ethic of humor that emerges from this theology. Finally, there is a discussion of how this practice of humor enriches worship, caregiving, and administration. Laughter in a Time of Turmoil draws to a close considering spiritual disciplines/practices and why humor belongs among these practices. Suggestions are then offered on how to grow in this spiritual practice. Discussion questions are provided for each chapter to help groups enjoy their conversations about the book. This book will help you think and laugh, or laugh and think (take your pick) and then be on your way rejoicing.

Download or read book Humor and Nonviolent Struggle in Serbia written by Janjira Sombatpoonsiri and published by Syracuse University Press. This book was released on 2015-10-29 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this highly original and engaging work, Sombatpoonsiri explores the nexus between humor and nonviolent protest, aiming to enhance our understanding of the growing popularity of humor in protest movements around the world. Drawing on insights from the pioneering Otpor activists in Serbia, she provides a detailed account of the protesters’ systematic use of humor to topple Slobodan Miloševic in 2000. Protest newsletters, documentaries of the movement, and interviews with activists combine to illustrate how humor played a pivotal role by reflecting the absurdity of the regime’s propaganda and, in turn, by delegitimizing its authority. Sombatpoonsiri highlights the Otpor activists’ ability to internationalize their nonviolent crusade, influencing youth movements in the Ukraine, Georgia, Iran, and Egypt. Globally, Otpor’s successful use of humor has become an inspiration for a later generation of protest movements.

Download or read book Laughing Histories written by Joy Wiltenburg and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2022-06-07 with total page 200 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Laughing Histories breaks new ground by exploring moments of laughter in early modern Europe, showing how laughter was inflected by gender and social power. "I dearly love a laugh," declared Jane Austen's heroine Elizabeth Bennet, and her wit won the heart of the aristocratic Mr. Darcy. Yet the widely read Earl of Chesterfield asserted that only "the mob" would laugh out loud; the gentleman should merely smile. This literary contrast raises important historical questions: how did social rules constrain laughter? Did the highest elites really laugh less than others? How did laughter play out in relations between the sexes? Through fascinating case studies of individuals such as the Renaissance artist Benvenuto Cellini, the French aristocrat Madame de Sévigné, and the rising civil servant and diarist Samuel Pepys, Laughing Histories reveals the multiple meanings of laughter, from the court to the tavern and street, in a complex history that paved the way for modern laughter. ​ With its study of laughter in relation to power, aggression, gender, sex, class, and social bonding, Laughing Histories is perfect for readers interested in the history of emotions, cultural history, gender history, and literature.

Download or read book Why Can t Philosophers Laugh written by Katrin Froese and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-06-15 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book analyzes Western and Chinese philosophical texts to determine why laughter and the comic have not been a major part of philosophical discourse. Katrin Froese maintains that many philosophical accounts of laughter try to unearth laughter's purpose, thereby rendering it secondary to the intentional and purposive aspects of human nature that impel us to philosophize. Froese also considers texts that take laughter and the comic as starting points, attempting to philosophize out of laughter rather than merely trying to unearth reasons for laughter. The book proposes that continuously unraveling philosophical assumptions through the comic and laughter may be necessary to live well.

Download or read book Feminism and the Religious Significance of Laughing Bodies written by Nicole Graham and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2024-06-03 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book identifies the significance of the body through a feminist reconceptualisation of laughter as a means of insight. It positions itself within the emerging scholarship on religion and humour but distinguishes itself by moving away from the emphasis on humour and instead focuses on the place and role of laughter. Through a feminist reading of laughter, which is grounded in the philosophical and psychological works of William James, this book emphasises the importance of the body to offer an exploration of laughter as a means of insight. In doing so, it challenges the classificatory orders of knowledge by recognising and arguing for the value of the body in the creation of knowledge and understanding. To demonstrate the centrality of the body for insight laughter, and thus the creation of knowledge, this book engages with laughter within three thematic areas: religious experience, gendered experiences of laughter, and the ethics of laughter. This book will be of interest to students and researchers in religious studies, theology, gender studies, humour studies, philosophy, and the history of ideas.

Download or read book Your God is Too Somber written by Christopher Dreisbach and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2019-01-16 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Your God is too somber if your posture before him lacks a spirit of joy and a commitment to rejoice as much as possible. While life has its sadness and tragedy, the good news of Jesus Christ is that God’s kingdom has won; and the suffering we face for a time is shorter compared with the endless delight that God promises. So, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice!” (Phil 4:4). Your God is too somber if you embrace a theology of tears, rather than a theology of laughter. Of course, salvation and Christ’s sacrifice are serious business, and we should engage in moments of penitential reflection, confession, and atonement. But all of this so we can shake off the shackles of our shortcomings and celebrate God fully and joyfully. Your God is too somber if you fail to see the humor in the Bible: the calls to joy, paradox, irony, burlesque, play, and wordplay. God laughs, sometimes with us, sometimes at us, and Jesus’s humor is evident in parables and sayings, with the goal of teaching us the truth. Is your God too somber? This book aims to help you answer that question.

Download or read book The Philosophy of Humour written by Paul McDonald and published by Humanities-Ebooks. This book was released on 2013-03-01 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Comic novelist and critic Paul McDonald explores the philosophy of humour in a book that will appeal to philosophers and creative writers alike. One aim of this book is to assess theories of humour and laughter. It concentrates mainly on philosophical approaches to humour- including those of Plato, Aristotle, Cicero, Descartes, Hobbes, Bergson, Kant, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Freud and Bakhtin, but also explores such fields as cultural studies, literary theory, religion, psychoanalysis, and psychology; this broad focus makes for a richer account of humour, its relationship with philosophical thought, and its bearing on the human condition. Readers are invited to engage in creative writing exercises designed to exploit this crucial facet of humour, and to help them explore relevant issues imaginatively. In this way they will deepen their understanding of those issues, whilst at the same time cultivating their own creative skills. REVIEW COMMENT "The philosophical study of humour has a complex and fitful history: few people have been brave enough to write about humour seriously, and those who have tend to disagree with one another. For those seeking an entry point, Paul McDonald’s 'The Philosophy of Humour' (2012) gives a useful overview of the major theories. There are those who believe that laughter derives from a sense of superiority (Hobbes and Bergson) or from a sense of relief, or release of energy (Freud’s “economy of psychic expenditure”). But the earliest, most primal examples of humour all seem to have some sort of incongruity at their heart. McDonald gives the example of “the Lion Man figure found in 1939 in the Swabian Alps”, which is thought to be about 35,000 years old. Having the body of a lion and the legs of a man, it is thought to be one of the earliest examples of represented incongruity, dating from the time when human beings first developed “an ability to juxtapose disparate concepts”. Jonathan Coe, The Guardian.

Download or read book Literature Redeemed written by Nicolas Dreyer and published by Böhlau Köln. This book was released on 2020-07-13 with total page 289 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the post-Soviet period, discussions of "postmodernism" in Russian literature have proliferated. Based on close literary analysis of representative works of fiction by three post-Soviet Russian writers – Vladimir Sorokin, Vladimir Tuchkov and Aleksandr Khurgin – this book investigates the usefulness and accuracy of the notion of "postmodernism" in the post-Soviet context. Classic Russian literature, renowned for its pursuit of aesthetic, moral and social values, and the modernism that succeeded it have often been seen as antipodes to postmodernist principles. The author wishes to dispute this polarity and proposes "post-Soviet neo-modernism" as an alternative concept. "Neo-modernism" embodies the notion that post-Soviet writers have redeemed the tendency of earlier literature to seek the meaning of human existence in a transcendent realm, as well as in the treasures of Russia's cultural past.

Download or read book Faith in the Millennium written by Stanley E. Porter and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2001-02-01 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At the close of one millennium and the beginning of a new one, this conference volume reflects on the past and looks forward to a new era in terms of the development of faith. Although most of the papers in the volume address issues concerning Christian faith, the volume is not confined to such a perspective, since the concept of faith is treated here in an encompassing and broad manner. The historical perspective reaches back several millennia, addresses contemporary issues of economics and justice as they have a bearing on faith, and looks to the future as a new millennium presents its own problems and potential opportunities.

Download or read book From Faith to Fun written by Russell Heddendorf and published by Lutterworth Press. This book was released on 2009-02-26 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Abraham and Sarah were presented with a paradox when God told them they would have a son in their old age. Paradox in the Old Testament plays an important part in the dialogue between God and the Jews. In the New Testament, paradox is prominent in Jesus' teaching and helps to explain the Christian understanding of salvation.

Download or read book Laughing at Architecture written by Michela Rosso and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2018-11-29 with total page 291 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a media-saturated world, humour stands out as a form of social communication that is especially effective in re-appropriating and questioning architectural and urban culture. Whether illuminating the ambivalences of metropolitan life or exposing the shock of modernisation, cartoons, caricature, and parody have long been potent agents of architectural criticism, protest and opposition. In a novel contribution to the field of architectural history, this book outlines a survey of visual and textual humour as applied to architecture, its artefacts and leading professionals. Employing a wide variety of visual and literary sources (prints, the illustrated press, advertisements, theatrical representations, cinema and TV), thirteen essays explore an array of historical subjects concerning the critical reception of projects, buildings and cities through the means of caricature and parody. Subjects range from 1750 to the present, and from Europe and the USA to contemporary China. From William Hogarth and George Cruikshank to Osbert Lancaster, Adolf Loos' satire, and Saul Steinberg's celebrated cartoons of New York City, graphic and descriptive humour is shown to be an enormously fruitful, yet largely unexplored terrain of investigation for the architectural and urban historian.

Download or read book Ocean of Love or Sea of Troubles written by Geoffrey Harris and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2016-12-22 with total page 177 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The title of Dr. Harris' book suggests that life is like a two-sided coin: it can be an Ocean of Love but can also be a Sea of Troubles. The subtitle clarifies this paradox: first, there are many signs of God's reality and activity in the world, and the first section of the book examines ways in which people are aware of God as both a creative and immanent presence in life. The "signs" of God are not philosophical "proofs" but empirical realities accessible to all people. In the second section, the biblical responses to suffering in the world are explored--through both Old and New Testaments. In the third section the writings of two modern apologists, C. S. Lewis and Philip Yancey, are assessed, and then finally there is a chapter of interviews with people who have known suffering in their lives.

Download or read book Baptist Sacramentalism 3 written by and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2020-09-28 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first two volumes of Baptist Sacramentalism helped give momentum to a renewal of sacramental theology among Baptists. In the years since, this conversation has come to include a more diverse range of voices and explore a broader range of topics. Baptist Sacramentalism 3 both reveals and shares in these trends, contributing to the continued expansion of Baptist sacramental theology. Essays from Scandinavian and Eastern European scholars reveal the ways in which sacramental thought is taking shape in non-English speaking contexts. Other essays demonstrate the ways in which sacramental thought informs questions ranging from disability to virtual reality. And in keeping with the first volumes, there is continued exploration of the sacramental witness of the Baptist past.

Download or read book The Joy of Secularism written by George Levine and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2021-05-11 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The case for a thoughtful secularism from some of today's most distinguished scientists, philosophers, and writers Can secularism offer us moral, aesthetic, and spiritual satisfaction? Or does the secular view simply affirm a dog-eat-dog universe? At a time when the issues of religion, evolution, atheism, fundamentalism, Darwin, and science fill headlines and invoke controversy, The Joy of Secularism provides a balanced and thoughtful approach for understanding an enlightened, sympathetic, and relevant secularism for our lives today. Bringing together distinguished historians, philosophers, scientists, and writers, this book shows that secularism is not a mere denial of religion. Rather, this positive and necessary condition presents a vision of a natural and difficult world—without miracles or supernatural interventions—that is far richer and more satisfying than the religious one beyond. From various perspectives—philosophy, evolutionary biology, primate study, Darwinian thinking, poetry, and even bird-watching—the essays in this collection examine the wealth of possibilities that secularism offers for achieving a condition of fullness. Factoring in historical contexts, and ethical and emotional challenges, the contributors make an honest and heartfelt yet rigorous case for the secular view by focusing attention on aspects of ordinary life normally associated with religion, such as the desire for meaning, justice, spirituality, and wonder. Demonstrating that a world of secular enchantment is a place worth living in, The Joy of Secularism takes a new and liberating look at a valuable and complex subject. The contributors are William Connolly, Paolo Costa, Frans de Waal, Philip Kitcher, George Levine, Adam Phillips, Robert Richards, Bruce Robbins, Rebecca Stott, Charles Taylor, and David Sloan Wilson.

Download or read book Gothic and the Comic Turn written by A. Horner and published by Springer. This book was released on 2004-11-30 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although Gothic writing is now seen as significant for an understanding of modernity, it is still largely characterized as a literature of fear and anxiety. Gothic and the Comic Turn argues that, partly through its desire to be taken seriously, Gothic criticism has neglected the comic doppelganger that has always inhabited the Gothic mode and which in certain texts emerges as dominant. Tracing an historical trajectory from the late Romantic period through to the present day, this book examines how varieties of comic parody and appropriation have interrogated the complexities of modern subjectivity.

Download or read book Laughing with God written by Gerald A. Arbuckle and published by Liturgical Press. This book was released on 2015-03-15 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Sarah overhears God tell Abraham that she will give birth to a son, she laughs. She laughs to herself at the impossibility of her, in her old age, bearing a child (Gen 18:12). But God’s ways are not Sarah’s ways; God is far more wonderful than Sarah imagines. Of course, Sarah does give birth to a son and names him Isaac, whose name means to laugh: God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me (Gen 21:6). Surely, the ancient audience—aware of the many incongruities in this story—did laugh. But can we in modern times recover the divine humor, the paradox and promise, in this and other biblical accounts? Can we use that sacred laughter as a means to evangelize a world that longs for God every bit as much as the ancients did? In Laughing with God: Humor, Culture, and Transformation, Catholic priest and cultural anthropologist Gerald Arbuckle helps us do just that. With Arbuckle, readers will enter many rich biblical stories and come away laughing, not laughter as in response to a joke or comedy, but a profound laughter of the heart. Readers will laugh at Sarah as she laughs at God, and they will laugh together with Sarah and God. Readers will discover divine humor in the parables of Jesus and even in his suffering and death, the ultimate paradox for Christians. In addition to uncovering and recovering humor in Scripture, Arbuckle’s work is a treasure trove of modern examples of humor—from literature, movies, and television—that surprisingly can be a means of transforming cultures to better reflect the kingdom of God. In the end, readers will want to turn the phrase, He who laughs last, laughs best, into, They who laugh with God, evangelize best. Gerald A. Arbuckle, SM, PhD, is co-director of Refounding and Pastoral Development, a research ministry, in Sydney, Australia. He is internationally known for his expertise in helping church leaders minister effectively in a postmodern world. Arbuckle’s most recent books include: Confronting the Demon: A Gospel Response to Adult Bullying; Violence, Society, and the Church: A Cultural Approach; and Healthcare Ministry: Refounding the Mission in Tumultuous Times (2001 Catholic Press Association Award), all published by Liturgical Press.