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In Praise Of Folly - Desiderius Erasmus
In Praise Of Folly
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In Praise of Folly is an essay written in 1509 by Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam and first printed in 1511. The essay was inspired by De Triumpho Stultitiae, written by Italian humanist Faustino Perisauli, born at Tredozio, near Forlì.Erasmus revised and extended the work, which he originally... show more
In Praise of Folly is an essay written in 1509 by Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam and first printed in 1511. The essay was inspired by De Triumpho Stultitiae, written by Italian humanist Faustino Perisauli, born at Tredozio, near Forlì.Erasmus revised and extended the work, which he originally wrote in the space of a week while sojourning with Sir Thomas More at More's estate in Bucklersbury. In Praise of Folly is considered one of the most notable works of the Renaissance and one of the catalysts of the Protestant Reformation. It starts off with a satirical learned encomium after the manner of the Greek satirist Lucian, whose work Erasmus and Sir Thomas More had recently translated into Latin, a piece of virtuoso foolery; it then takes a darker tone in a series of orations, as Folly praises self-deception and madness and moves to a satirical examination of pious but superstitious abuses of Catholic doctrine and corrupt practices in parts of the Roman Catholic Church, to which Erasmus was ever faithful, and the folly of pedants (including Erasmus himself). Erasmus had recently returned disappointed from Rome, where he had turned down offers of advancement in the curia, and Folly increasingly takes on Erasmus' own chastising voice. The essay ends with a straightforward statement of Christian ideals. The essay is filled with classical allusions delivered in a style typical of the learned humanists of the Renaissance. Folly parades as a goddess, offspring of Pluto, the god of underworld and a nymph, Freshness. She was nursed by two other nymphs Inebriation and Ignorance, her faithful companions include Philautia (self-love), Kolakia (flattery), Lethe (oblivion), Misoponia (laziness), Hedone (pleasure), Anoia (madness), Tryphe (wantonness)and two gods Komos (intemperance) and Eegretos Hypnos (dead sleep). Folly praises herself endlessly, arguing that life would be dull and distasteful without her. Of earthly existence, Folly pompously states, "you'll find nothing frolic or fortunate that it owes not to me."
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ISBN: 9781770831742 (1770831746)
Edition language: English
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Community Reviews
Philosophical Musings of a Book Nerd
Philosophical Musings of a Book Nerd rated it
4.5 Let Stupidity Reign
Well, what better book to read when you are in the Netherlands than Erasmus' tributed to stupidity. Okay, I'm sure he is not being serious, though it is difficult to tell at times, particularly when he suggests that by being an idiot one does become healthy, wealthy (but not necessarily wise – actua...
Nyx Book Reviews
Nyx Book Reviews rated it
2.0 Praise of Folly by Desiderius Erasmus
Praise of Folly was written by Erasmus when he was ill for a few days. It got a bit tweaked and published, even though Erasmus himself thought it wasn't very good.Yet Praise of Folly sparked a literary revolution with its commentary on medieval values and more modern view of society. The whole novel...
sologdin
sologdin rated it
Hard for me not to crush on Erasmus: cosmopolitan, pacifist, menippean. Learned in ancient writings, interested in allegiance to neither reformation nor counter-reformation, but rather in democratization of Scripture through vernacular translation simultaneous to the construction of critical editio...
WorldInColour
WorldInColour rated it
2.0 Lof der zotheid
Kent zo zijn leuke passages, maar is redelijk repetitief en leest wat met horten en stoten. Een klassieker, maar niet meteen een echte aanrader.
Reading Adler's List
Reading Adler's List rated it
3.0 The Praise Of Folly
Written in a week or so for his friend Thomas More, Praise of Folly satirically catalogues the advantages of folly in the world. It delightfully mocks things society values most- from marriage to the pursuit of wisdom- so, in an iconoclastic way, I like the book. There is a reformist element to th...
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