And Now for Something Completely Different
Critical Approaches to Monty Python
Jeffrey Andrew Weinstock editor Kate Egan editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Edinburgh University Press
Published:25th Aug '22
Should be back in stock very soon
Examining Monty Python’s enduring status as an unconventional, anti-authoritarian comedy touchstone, this book reappraises Python’s comedy output from the perspective of its 50 years of cultural circulation. Reconsidering the group’s originality, impact and durability, a range of international scholars explores Python’s influences, production contexts, frequently controversial themes, and the cult status and forms of fandom associated with Python in the present day. From television sketches, including The Funniest Joke in the World, Hell’s Grannies, Dead Parrot and Confuse-a-Cat, to the films Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Life of Brian and The Meaning of Life, to songs from the albums and live shows, this book is a ground-breaking critical analysis of the Monty Python phenomenon.
Fifty years on, And Now For Something Completely Different provides a timely retrospective on the troupe’s transformation from absurdist cult TV to global comedy lingua franca. Egan and Weinstock’s clutch of new scholarly perspectives effectively historicises Python in popular culture. As Pythonology goes, this is pretty much the full Monty. -- Justin Smith, De Montfort University
A fresh and broad-ranging collection that both builds on existing work on Monty Python, and takes several new approaches. This will be an important contribution to the field. -- Leon Hunt, Brunel University London
If you’re after a series of lively, insightful and highly accessible essays about every aspect of Monty Python – from its use of stock music to its representation of animals – then this book is completely and utterly for you. -- Oliver Double, University of Kent
This outstanding collection finds innovative, compelling things to say about the global cult of Python. Exploring absurdism and gothic horror, music and animation, deceased parrots and ‘political correctness’, Egan and Weinstock have gathered together a brilliant troupe of scholars. Including a focus on cult comedy and fandom, And Now For Something Completely Different makes a real difference to our understandings of Monty Python. -- Professor Matt Hills, University of Huddersfield, UK
ISBN: 9781474475167
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
256 pages