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Erasmus of Rotterdam wrote the essay The Praise of Folly during a week at Sir Thomas More's estate in Bucklersbury. He later refined and extended the piece. In it he personifies Folly as a god, whose companions are likewise-personified sins and human weaknesses. His work criticizes the Catholic Church, and culminates in a statement of Christian ideals. Erasmus was a faithful Catholic, but his text is considered a catalyst to the Protestant movement.
Clever. A famous work of the Renaissance, it led to the questioning of absurd abuses of authority in the Church. Some say it laid the groundwork for the Reformation. ( )
One of the high points of Renaissance literature and fuel for the coming Protestant Reformation, Erasmus' 'In Praise of Folly' is pretty thick going these days. It's a satirical take-down of human nature. Folly is praised as a god, along with its followers: self-love, oblivion, flattery, etc. The prose is exceedingly verbose, which has the virtue of providing a dense sort of lyricism to the screed but can make it a struggle to keep up with the overbearing number of allusions and double-to-triple meanings woven into the text. While the book (essay, really, since it tops at about 80 pages) has been described as a comedic classic, the humor is highly cerebral and works the better you understand the history from which it sprung. Regardless of the troubles modern readers uneducated in the humanities (such as myself) might have with a work it is a valuable text for understanding the history of humanism and Reformation politics. It's also a classic guideline for the construction of effective social commentary.
Prettig leesbaar Lof der Zotheid.........voor mensen die niet zoveel over Erasmus weten een eye-opener ! Mooi geillustreerd met de tekeningen van Hans Holbein uit het Baselse exemplaar van 1515
Information from the German Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
Thomas Morus
First words
Digan de mi los humanos cuanto quieran, lo cierto es que no soy tan insensata como los oigo decir, incluso a muchos que son tontos y ridículos, pues nadie tiene la gran virtud que yo para regocijar a hombres y dioses.
Quotations
Information from the Spanish Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
Ser Dios consiste en ayudar a los mortales
Last words
Wherefore farewell, clap your hands, live and drink lustily, my most excellent disciples of Folly.
Erasmus of Rotterdam wrote the essay The Praise of Folly during a week at Sir Thomas More's estate in Bucklersbury. He later refined and extended the piece. In it he personifies Folly as a god, whose companions are likewise-personified sins and human weaknesses. His work criticizes the Catholic Church, and culminates in a statement of Christian ideals. Erasmus was a faithful Catholic, but his text is considered a catalyst to the Protestant movement.
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Book description
Erasmo, con "Elogio della Follia", guarda e invita a guardare alla demenza del mondo con occhi nuovi: nella consapevolezza che la realtà è quella che è e, in fondo, ci sono sempre delle "ragioni" in quello che gli uomini fanno - come non tarderà a sottolineare il Machiavelli - per cui vale forse la pena di dar credito alla "follia". (piopas)
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