In Praise of Folly

The personification of Folly comes to earth to expose the follies, foibles, and failings of humans. Illustrated with 77 woodcuts by Hans Holbein.

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Citation

Erasmus in Praise of Folly, illustrated with many curious cuts, designed, drawn, and etched by Hans Holbein, with portrait, life of Erasmus, and his epistle to Sir Thomas More (London: Reeves & Turner, 1876).

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Sir Thomas More (Author)

Erasmus dedicated In Praise of Folly to his close friend Sir Thomas More, even making a pun of More’s last name in the work’s Latin title, Moriae Encomium.
François Rabelais (Author)

As a French humanist and Renaissance satirist, Rabelais admired the work of Erasmus. He is most known for his satire Gargantua and Pantagruel.
Faustino Perisauli (Author)

Although little is known about this early Italian writer, his work De Triumpho Stultitiae (On the Triumph of Folly) inspired Erasmus’ In Praise of Folly.

Hans Holbein (Author)

Holbein was a famous Swiss-German painter during the Renaissance. Among his works are portraits of Sir Thomas More, Erasmus, Henry VIII, and the original illustrations of In Praise of Folly.

Key Quotes

Presidents, Kings, Tyrants, & Despots

Now if there should arise any starched, formal don, that would point at the several actors, and tell how this, that seems a petty god, is in truth worse than a brute, being made captive to the tyranny of passion; that the other, who bears the character of a king, is indeed the most slavish of…

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Critical Responses

Article

Folly’s Tyranny: Theatricality in Erasmus’s and Labe’s Portraits of Folly

Melinda Cro

This essay discusses the similarities between Erasmus’ personification of Folly with that of Louise Labé’s.

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Article

The Problem of Unity in In Praise of Folly

Richard Sylvester

This article examines the figure of Folly in In Praise of Folly and the structure her character provides for her audience’s interpretation of the text.

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Connected Readings

Book

Utopia

Sir Thomas More

This short work provides a political commentary on government, philosophy, and the ideal state.

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Book

Gargantua and Pantagruel

François Rabelais

Gargantua and Pantagruel is a vulgar French parody of chivalric romance. It satirizes Renaissance law, theology, academics, and aristocratic politics. Like In Praise of Folly, it too was censored.

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Book

The Book of Proverbs (KJV)

Old Testament (Various Authors)

Like In Praise of Folly, this ancient Hebrew text personifies folly as a woman. It also personifies wisdom as a great lady and discusses the differences between the wiseman and the fool.

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Book

De Triumpho Stultitiae

Faustino Perisauli

Much like the Iliad to the Aeneid, De Triumpho Stultitiae (On the Triumph of Folly) inspired In Praise of Folly.

MORE

Video

What is Satire?

OSU School of Writing, Literature and Film

This short video explains the three different types of satire in literature.

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Book

Gulliver’s Travels

Jonathan Swift

Gulliver’s Travels is a political satire that targets folly and human stupidity in early eighteenth century England.

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