In Praise of Folly

· Open Road Media
4,5
2 reviews
eBook
105
Pages
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About this eBook

This sixteenth-century religious satire by a Renaissance critic and theologian is “a masterpiece of humor and wise irony” (Johan Huizinga, Dutch historian).

At the onset of his hugely successful satire of medieval European society, Dutch scholar Desiderius Erasmus invokes the goddess Folly, daughter of Youth and Wealth, who was raised by Drunkenness and Ignorance. She’s followed by idolatrous companions, including Self-love, Flattery, Pleasure, and Laziness.
 
Through Folly’s wry and humorous speech, Erasmus denounces the superstitions and nonsensical eccentricities of his contemporary theologians and churchmen, monastic life, and the condition of the Catholic Church. An immensely influential humanist text, In Praise of Folly helped lay the groundwork for the Protestant Reformation and marked a transitional time between medieval beliefs and modern ideals.
 

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4,5
2 reviews

About the author

Desiderius Erasmus (1466–1536) was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, social critic, teacher, and theologian. A classical scholar who wrote in a pure Latin style, his most famous work is In Praise of Folly.
 
 

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