God's Fools (Laughing Saints, Delirious Prophets, and the Sacred Makers of Comedy)

From the self-abasements of Charlie Chaplin and Lenny Bruce’s provocations to the present-day culture warring over figures like Dave Chappelle and Hannah Gadsby, comedians have always been not simply entertainers, but charismatic observers of (and participants in) social anxieties and pathologies. Performers as varied as Mort Sahl, Richard Pryor, Margaret Cho, and Louis CK have courted both devotion and outrage at various points in their careers, as they cavort at the outer extremities of taboo, good taste, and received opinion.
In God’s Fools: Laughing Saints, Delirious Prophets, and the Sacred Makers of Comedy religion and literature scholar Jason Crawford gives a penetrating and surprising look at the social role that comedians play by placing them in their proper historical lineage—one that begins not with vaudeville and minstrelsy but with the mystics, martyrs, and misfits of the premodern Judeo-Christian world. In Crawford’s expansive account, comedians like Chaplin and Chappelle mingle with such motley historical figures as St. Francis of Assisi, the first-century rabbi Akiba, and the Shakespearean collaborator Robert Armin. In lively and memorable character sketches, Crawford reveals the compelling through-lines that connect these figures to modern comedians, showing how, they attract devotion as exemplars of bad behavior—of a shabbiness transfigured by mystical insight—and act as lightning rods for rejection and punishment during times of deep cultural division.

This book title, God's Fools (Laughing Saints, Delirious Prophets, and the Sacred Makers of Comedy), ISBN: 9781493080595, by Jason Crawford, published by Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (October 2, 2025) is available in hardcover. Our minimum order quantity is 25 copies. All standard bulk book orders ship FREE in the continental USA and delivered in 4-10 business days.

Unlike Amazon and other retailers who may also offer God's Fools (Laughing Saints, Delirious Prophets, and the Sacred Makers of Comedy) books on their website, we specialize in large quantities and provide personal service, from trusted, experienced, friendly people in Portland, Oregon. We offer a Price Match Guarantee, and QuickQuote form, to make purchasing quick and easy.

Prefer to work with a human being when you order God's Fools (Laughing Saints, Delirious Prophets, and the Sacred Makers of Comedy) books in bulk? Our Book Specialists are standing by Monday-Friday 8-5 PST, ready to help!