{"product_id":"sufjan-stevens-carrie-lowell-joel-mayward-paperback","title":"Sufjan Stevens' Carrie \u0026 Lowell -- Joel Mayward, Paperback","description":"\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUpon the release of Sufjan Stevens' seventh studio album, \u003ci\u003eCarrie \u0026amp; Lowell\u003c\/i\u003e, two divergent groups found themselves as strange bedfellows: the LGBTQIA+ community and American evangelical Christians. Both were united in praise for Stevens' beautifully melancholic music.\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Critically acclaimed as one of the best albums of 2015, the elegiac and intimate record about the death of Sufjan's estranged mother reflects the musician's own paradoxical posture-\u003ci\u003eCarrie \u0026amp; Lowell \u003c\/i\u003eis both sacred \u003ci\u003eand \u003c\/i\u003eprofane, Christian \u003ci\u003eand\u003c\/i\u003e queer, traditional \u003ci\u003eand \u003c\/i\u003eprogressive, despairing \u003ci\u003eand\u003c\/i\u003e hopeful. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Theologian and cultural critic Joel Mayward considers \u003ci\u003eCarrie \u0026amp; Lowell \u003c\/i\u003eas a mystical metamodern \u003ci\u003ememento mori\u003c\/i\u003e, Sufjan's symphonic (as opposed to systematic) approach to the questions of mortality, sexuality, and God. Fusing critical observations with personal narrative, Mayward examines the unique audience reception of \u003ci\u003eCarrie \u0026amp; Lowell \u003c\/i\u003eand the questions it raises: in a world of division, how might Stevens' affecting music act as a bridge of love between seemingly irreconcilable communities? As \u003ci\u003eCarrie \u0026amp; Lowell \u003c\/i\u003ereminds us of the painful truth that \"we're all gonna die,\" perhaps it also offers a glimpse of transcendence and hope on this side of death.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Joel Mayward\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Bloomsbury Academic\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 11\/13\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 160\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.33 lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 6.51\" H x 4.96\" L x 0.38\" W\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9798765132760\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Flowerburst","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51209127297328,"sku":"9798765132760","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2712\/8368\/files\/9798765132760_5dffda99-444d-49ef-b4ab-900e34a6f09c.jpg?v=1774647931","url":"https:\/\/flowerburst.co\/products\/sufjan-stevens-carrie-lowell-joel-mayward-paperback","provider":"Flowerburst","version":"1.0","type":"link"}