Religion, Philosophy, and Popular Culture in the Roman East
Buch, Englisch, 328 Seiten, Hardback, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm
ISBN: 978-0-472-13334-5
Verlag: University of Michigan Press
In Lucian's Laughing Gods, author Inger N. I. Kuin argues that in ancient Greek thought, comedic depictions of divinities were not necessarily desacralizing. In religion, laughter was accommodated to such an extent as to actually be constituent of some ritual practices, and the gods were imagined either to reciprocate or push back against human laughter—they were never deflated by it. Lucian uses the gods as comic characters, but in doing so, he does not automatically negate their power. Instead, with his depiction of the gods and of how they relate to humans—frivolous, insecure, callous—Lucian challenges the dominant theologies of his day as he refuses to interpret the gods as ethical models. This book contextualizes Lucian’s comedic performances in the intellectual life of the second century CE Roman East broadly, including philosophy, early Christian thought, and popular culture (dance, fables, standard jokes, etc.). His texts are analyzed as providing a window onto non-elite attitudes and experiences, and methodologies from religious studies and the sociology of religion are used to conceptualize Lucian’s engagement with the religiosity of his contemporaries.
Autoren/Hrsg.
Fachgebiete
- Geisteswissenschaften Religionswissenschaft Religionswissenschaft Allgemein
- Geisteswissenschaften Literaturwissenschaft Literaturgeschichte und Literaturkritik
- Geisteswissenschaften Design Typographie, Illustrationskunst, Werbegraphik
- Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Spezielle Soziologie Freizeitsoziologie, Konsumsoziologie, Alltagssoziologie, Populärkultur
- Geisteswissenschaften Geschichtswissenschaft Alte Geschichte & Archäologie
- Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Philosophie: Sachbuch