Conrad Hyers 
The Comic Vision and the Christian Faith 
A Celebration of Life and Laughter

Is comedy an inconsequential part of life, useful primarily for relaxation and escape? Conrad Hyers asserts that comedy is central to all aspects of existence. In The Comic Vision and the Christian Faith Hyers offers the first detailed study of the special significance of comic and religious themes to show that the comic tradition enriches and informs as well as entertains. Maintaining that comedy constitutes its own mythology, Hyers examines the great array of comic figures — tricksters, clowns, jesters, fools, humorists, comedians, and the like — and shows their historical significance in giving meaning to the major issues with which humankind has been concerned. Finally, Hyers shows us that when we appreciate the importance of the comic vision, we gain a keener, fresher, and more meaningful outlook.

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Conrad Hyers has served as Professor of the History of Religion and Chair of the Department of Religion at both Beloit College and at Gustavus Adolphus College. He is also an ordained Presbyterian minister, and author of ‘Zen and the Comic Spirit’, ‘The Meaning of Creation’, ‘Once-Born, Twice-Born Zen, ‘ ‘And God Created Laughter’, and editor of ‘Holy Laughter: Essays on Religion in the Comic Perspective’.