Praise of Folly

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Extensively annotated, with pictures and apparatus on Erasmus's life and works

The goddess Folly gives a speech, praising herself and explaining how much humanity benefits from her services, from politicians to philosophers, aristocrats, schoolteachers, poets, lawyers, theologians, monarchs, and the clergy. At the same time, her discourse provides a satire of Erasmus's world, poking fun at false pedantry and the aberrations of Christianity. Woven throughout her monologue, a thread of irony calls into question the goddess's own words, in which ambiguities, allusions, and interpretations collide in a way that makes Praise of Folly enduringly fascinating. This volume also includes other works by Erasmus: Pope Julius Barred from Heaven, Epigram Against Pope Julius II, and a selection of his Adages.