''In Praise of Folly'', also translated as ''The Praise of Folly'' ( la, Stultitiae Laus or ), is an essay written in Latin in 1509 by Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam and first printed in June 1511. Inspired by previous works of the Italian humanist ''De Triumpho Stultitiae'', it is a

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...

attack on

superstition A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly applied to beliefs and ...

s, various traditions of European society and on the Latin Church. Erasmus revised and extended his work, which was originally written in the space of a week while sojourning with Sir Thomas More at More's house in Bucklersbury in the City of London. The title ''Moriae Encomium'' had a punning second meaning as ''In Praise of More'' (In Greek Moría translates into folly). ''In Praise of Folly'' is considered one of the most notable works of the Renaissance and played an important role in the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation. "Although Erasmus himself would have denied it vehemently, later reformers found that ''In Praise of Folly'' had helped prepare the way for the Protestant Reformation."

Content

''In Praise of Folly'' begins with a satirical learned encomium, in which Folly praises herself, in the manner of the Greek satirist

Lucian Lucian of Samosata, '; la, Lucianus Samosatensis ( 125 – after 180) was a Hellenized Syrian satirist, rhetorician and pamphleteer Pamphleteer is a historical term for someone who creates or distributes pamphlets, unbound (and therefore ...

(2nd century AD), whose work Erasmus and Sir Thomas More had recently translated into Latin; 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. 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 ideal: "No Man is wise at all Times, or is without his blind Side." HolbeinErasmusFollymarginalia

Erasmus was a good friend of More, with whom he shared a taste for dry humor and other intellectual pursuits. The title ''Moriae Encomium'' could also be read as meaning "In praise of More". The double or triple meanings go on throughout the text. 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 Plutus, the god of wealth and a nymph, Youth. She was nursed by two other nymphs,

Inebriation Alcohol intoxication, also known as alcohol poisoning, commonly described as drunkenness or inebriation, is the negative behavior and physical effects caused by a recent consumption of Alcohol (drug), alcohol. In addition to the toxicity of etha ...

and Ignorance. Her faithful companions include

Philautia Self-love, defined as "love of self" or "regard for one's own happiness or advantage", has been conceptualized both as a basic human necessity and as a moral flaw, akin to vanity and selfishness, synonymous with amour-propre, conceitedness, eg ...

(self-love), Kolakia (flattery), Lethe (forgetfulness),

Misoponia Laziness (also known as indolence) is disinclination to activity or exertion despite having the ability to act or to exert oneself. It is often used as a pejorative; terms for a person seen to be lazy include "couch potato", "slacker", and "b ...

(laziness), Hedone (pleasure), Anoia (dementia), Tryphe (wantonness), and two gods, Komos (intemperance) and Nigretos Hypnos (heavy 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."

Reception

''Moriae Encomium'' was hugely popular, to Erasmus' astonishment and sometimes his dismay. Even Erasmus' close friends had been initially skeptical and warned him of possible dangers to himself from thus attacking the established religion. Even Pope Leo X and Cardinal

Cisneros Grupo Cisneros is a privately held, family owned business headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida, historically based in Venezuela, with a focus on Latin American and Spanish-speaking people worldwide. It is a conglomerate of media entertainment, ...

are said to have found it amusing. Before Erasmus' death it had already passed into numerous editions and had been translated into Czech, French, and German. An English edition soon followed. It influenced the teaching of

rhetoric Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate parti ...

during the later sixteenth century, and the art of

adoxography Adoxography is elegant or refined writing that addresses a trivial or base subject. The term was coined in the late 19th century. It was a form of rhetorical exercise "in which the legitimate methods of the encomium are applied to persons or objec ...

or praise of worthless subjects became a popular exercise in Elizabethan grammar schools. A copy of the Basel edition of 1515/16 was illustrated with pen and ink

drawing Drawing is a form of visual art in which an artist uses instruments to mark paper or other two-dimensional surface. Drawing instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, various kinds of paints, inked brushes, colored pencils, crayons, ...

s by

Hans Holbein the Younger Hans Holbein the Younger ( , ; german: Hans Holbein der Jüngere; – between 7 October and 29 November 1543) was a Germans, German-Swiss people, Swiss painter and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style, and is considered o ...

. These are the most famous illustrations of ''In Praise of Folly''. Its role in the beginnings of the Protestant Reformation stems from its criticism of the practices of the Church and its political allies.

Notes

External links

''The Praise of Folly''
translated by John Wilson in 1668, at Project Gutenberg
''Praise of Folly''
at Internet Archive (scanned books original editions)
''In Praise of Folly''
English translation published in 1922.
Subhasis Chattopadhyay, Review of the Princeton Edition of ''The Praise of Folly'', ''Prabuddha Bharata'', 121 (4) (April 2016): 429–31''The Praise of Folly''
English audiobook recording at LibriVox

from Christian Classics Ethereal Library * – via Google Books {{DEFAULTSORT:In Praise of Folly 1511 books Books by Desiderius Erasmus Philosophy books Renaissance literature Medieval philosophical literature 16th-century Latin books Dutch satire