Paul N. Reinsch & B. Lynn Whitfield 
Python beyond Python 
Critical Engagements with Culture

This collection of original, interdisciplinary essays addresses the work of Monty Python members beyond the comedy show, films, and live performances. These men are prolific creators in a variety of artistic realms beyond the confines of the comedy troupe. Their work as individuals, before and after coming together as Monty Python, demonstrates a restless curiosity about culture that embraces absurdity but seldom becomes cynical. Python members collectively and individually create unique approaches to theatre, film, video games, comic books, business training videos and more.
Python Beyond Python increases our understanding of this often neglected work and the meanings of Monty Python.

Table of Content

1. Chapter 1: Introduction: The Whole of the Parts - Paul N. Reinsch.- 2. Part I: Solo Work(s) - Chapter 2:  How Eric Idle Found His Grail: The Journey of Monty Python’s Spamalot from Film to Broadway - Rebecca Wright.- 3. Chapter 3: From Silly to Scholarly: The Complete and Utter History of Terry Jones - Kevin F. Kern.- 4. Chapter 4: Python, Heritage, and Michael Palin’s Diaries - Peter Clandfield.- 5. Chapter 5: Getting There: Michael Palin’s Travels - Thomas Prasch.- 6. Chapter 6: Grotesque Unrealism: Terry Gilliam’s Jabberwocky - Rick Hudson.- 7. Chapter 7: From Witness Box to the Bench: Meetings, Bloody Meetings, Video Arts, and the Evolution of John Cleese - Paul N. Reinsch and N. L. Reinsch, Jr..- 8. Part II: Pre- and Post-Python Collaborations - Chapter 8: Joining the Circus: The Pythons before Monty Python - Brian Cogan and Jeff Massey.- 9. Chapter 9: Playing With the Past: The Complete and Utter History of Britain in the Context of Sixties Television - Kevin M. Flanagan.- 10. Chapter 10: Thrilling Adventures in Post-Colonial Culture: From Empire to Commonwealth in Ripping Yarns and British Popular Culture - Rick Hudson.- 11. A Liar’s Autobiography: Animation and the Unreliable Biopic - Annabelle Honess Roe.- 12. Chapter 12: Superman in the Python Universe  - Robert G. Weiner.- 13. Chapter 13: Starship Titanic and the Perils of Pythonesque Gaming - Robert Buerkle. 

About the author

Paul N. Reinsch is Assistant Professor of Practice—Cinema at Texas Tech University, USA. He is the author of
A Critical Bibliography of Shirley Jackson (2001). 





B. Lynn Whitfield is Associate Archivist at Texas Tech University, USA. She serves on the Executive Board of the Society of Southwest Archivists and is Associate Director of the West Texas Historical Association.





Robert G. Weiner is Popular Culture and Humanities Librarian at Texas Tech University, USA. He has published numerous books and articles related to popular culture.