Richard Pryor: melancholy and the religion of tragicomedy.
Drawing on Donald Capps' discussion in Men and Their Religion (2000) on the development of the melancholy self in early childhood and the emergence of three religious impulses as a consequence of its development (the religions of honor, hope, and humor), this article focuses on the early childhood experience of Richard Pryor and the role that the religion of humor plays in helping him cope with these experiences. Particular attention is given to his grandmother's paradoxical role in his life and his identification of her as his spiritual mother.
Princeton Theological Seminary, P. O. Box 821, Princeton, NJ 08542-0803, USA. israel.durham@ptsem.edu
I A
IA
Durham
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D003866:Depressive Disorder; D005197:Famous Persons; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D014925:Wit and Humor as Topic