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Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536) was a Dutch humanist, scholar, and social critic, and one of the most important figures of the Renaissance. The Praise of Folly is perhaps his best-known work. Originally written to amuse his friend Sir Thomas More, this satiric celebration of pleasure, youth, and intoxication irreverently pokes fun at the pieties of theologians and the foibles that make us all human, while ultimately reaffirming the value of Christian ideals. No other book displays quite so completely the transition from the medieval to the modern world, and Erasmus's wit, wisdom, and critical spirit have lost none of their timeliness today.This Princeton Classics edition of The Praise of Folly features a new foreword by Anthony Grafton that provides an essential introduction to this iridescent and enduring masterpiece.… (more)
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
Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536) was a Dutch humanist, scholar, and social critic, and one of the most important figures of the Renaissance. The Praise of Folly is perhaps his best-known work. Originally written to amuse his friend Sir Thomas More, this satiric celebration of pleasure, youth, and intoxication irreverently pokes fun at the pieties of theologians and the foibles that make us all human, while ultimately reaffirming the value of Christian ideals. No other book displays quite so completely the transition from the medieval to the modern world, and Erasmus's wit, wisdom, and critical spirit have lost none of their timeliness today.This Princeton Classics edition of The Praise of Folly features a new foreword by Anthony Grafton that provides an essential introduction to this iridescent and enduring masterpiece.
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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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