{"product_id":"americas-most-famous-catholic-according-to-himself-stephen-colbert-and-american-religion-in-the-twenty-first-century-hardback-9780823285303","title":"America's Most Famous Catholic (According to Himself); Stephen Colbert and American Religion in the Twenty-First Century (Hardback) 9780823285303","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eAmerica's Most Famous Catholic (According to Himself)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eStephen Colbert and American Religion in the Twenty-First Century\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eStephanie N. Brehm (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780823285303\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eHardback, published 3 September 2019\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e256 pages, 10\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 2.4 cm, 0.552 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor nine years, Stephen Colbert's persona \"Colbert\"—a Republican superhero and parody of conservative political pundits—informed audiences on current events, politics, social issues, and religion while lampooning conservative political policy, biblical literalism, and religious hypocrisy. To devout, vocal, and authoritative lay Catholics, religion is central to both the actor and his most famous character. Yet many viewers wonder, \"Is Colbert a practicing Catholic in real life or is this part of his act?\" \u003ci\u003eAmerica's Most Famous Catholic (According to Himself) \u003c\/i\u003eexamines the ways in which Colbert challenges perceptions of Catholicism and Catholic mores through his faith and comedy.\u003cbr\u003e Religion and the foibles of religious institutions have served as rich fodder for scores of comedians over the years. What set \"Colbert\" apart on his Comedy Central show, \u003ci\u003eThe Colbert Report\u003c\/i\u003e, was that his critical observations were made more powerful and harder to ignore because he approached religious material not from the predictable stance of the irreverent secular comedian but from his position as one of the faithful. He is a Catholic celebrity who can bridge critical outsider and participating insider, neither fully reverent nor fully irreverent.\u003cbr\u003e Providing a digital media ethnography and rhetorical analysis of Stephen Colbert and his character from 2005 to 2014, author Stephanie N. Brehm examines the intersection between lived religion and mass media, moving from an exploration of how Catholicism shapes Colbert's life and world towards a conversation about how \"Colbert\" shapes Catholicism. Brehm provides historical context by discovering how \"Colbert\" compares to other Catholic figures, such Don Novello, George Carlin, Louis C.K., and Jim Gaffigan, who have each presented their views of Catholicism to Americans through radio, film, and television. The last chapter provides a current glimpse of Colbert on \u003ci\u003eThe Late Show\u003c\/i\u003e, where he continues to be voice for Catholicism on late night, now to an even broader audience.\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eAmerica's Most Famous Catholic (According to Himself) \u003c\/i\u003ealso explores how Colbert carved space for Americans who currently define their religious lives through absence, ambivalence, and alternatives. Brehm reflects on the complexity of contemporary American Catholicism as it is lived today in the often-ignored form of Catholic multiplicity: thinking Catholics, cultural Catholics, cafeteria Catholics, and lukewarm Catholics, or what others have called Colbert Catholicism, an emphasis on the joy of religion in concert with the suffering. By examining the humor in religion, Brehm allows us to see clearly the religious elements in the work and life of comedian Stephen Colbert.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e1.\u003c\/b\u003e Colbert as Character   1\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e2. \u003c\/b\u003eColbert as Catholic Authority   23\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e3. \u003c\/b\u003eColbert as Catechist   48\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e4.\u003c\/b\u003e Colbert as Catholic Comedian   76\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e5.\u003c\/b\u003e Colbert Catholicism   99\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e6. \u003c\/b\u003eColbert as Culture Warrior   132\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e7.\u003c\/b\u003e Colbert's Continued Presence   152\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eAppendix\u003c\/i\u003e   165\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eAcknowledgments\u003c\/i\u003e   173\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eNotes\u003c\/i\u003e   175\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eSelected Bibliography\u003c\/i\u003e   205\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003eIndex\u003c\/i\u003e   219\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Fordham University Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52580355277080,"sku":"9780823285303","price":50.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/americas-most-famous-catholic-according-to-himself-stephen-colbert-and-american-religion-in-the-twenty-first-century-hardback-9780823285303","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}