Fool Literature can be traced back into antiquity, as can the fool himself. Already in ancient Greece the fool was a common character in social life, represented in the parasite or buffoons. The parasite lived by dining out,and giving in exchange for a place at the banquet table entertainment through his wit and commentary. In this practice the Fool was in competition with that other barterer of wit the Philosopher, Xenophon tells us of a badinage match between the Greek Buffoon Philip and the Philospher Socrates. Some Philosphers were not as willing to cope with this affront on thier dignity and Lucian tells us in "the Feast of the Lapithae" of a Cynic who, unwilling to be the target of a buffoons wit undertakes to thrash the parasite, only to be pounded by the healthy fool.
literature like "The feast of the Lapithae" or some of the Greek plays that in describing life describes the Fools role and status in that society, but the Greek buffoons also had books on thier trade and there is even a play where a parasite determines to study his book before a competitions with rival newcomers. These books seem to have been remembrances of fools, "The life of...." That detailed thier best stunts or stories as remembered by writers or historians who knew them.
This was the source of Jest books, the major format for Fool literature from antiquity until modern times. Greek Buffoons, like the Jesters and fools who would come after them, primarily told stories about themselves, traveling about they would perform acts of roguery, clever thefts or practical jokes, and would then tell the tale of thier Jest (adventure,,same root as Quest) These Jest books were the fools manuals and served the fool in two ways, one he could merely take a story of a fool from the past and tell substituting himself for the original fool. More importantly he could study them as if they were books on strategy and create his own Jest based on the principle or "sell" of the older hoax. Read understand the "sell" to learn more.
These Gest books, and life stories of various fools continued to be the mainstay of Fool literature until the later part of the renaisance. Some of the more noteworthy books were the life of Scogin, That of the German fool Howeglass, and Reynard the fox. Thier was as yet no fool literature that attempted to analyze the Fool, what he was why he was and what he meant to us. Then two important works were added to the body of fool literature Erasmus' " Praise of Folly" and Robert Armin's "The Nest of Ninnies"
Robert Armin was the comic actor who created the great Fool roles in Shakespears plays, and it seems in all probability that it was his intense interest in the dying tradition of the Court Jester that saved the image of the jester in plays such as "As you like it" and "King Lear". The Nest of Ninnies was a book he wrote and then rewrote within his lifetime, finally expanding into a new work entitled "Every fool in his Humour"
Armin has Mother Folly entertained by a cynic (keep in mind Lucian's "feast of the Lapithae" here) by showing her his study into the kinds and forms of fools. Armin then introduces the biographies of six fools, most prominently Henry the 8ths fool William Sommers, but the Nest of Ninnies isn't merely a jest book combining the Lives of 6 fools rather than one, he has picked each of these fools to display a different nature of foolery and the cynics comments serve to give a cross comparison of the different fool types, seven in all as Mother Folly soon demonstrates the cynic as well is one of her own. Armin brought this understanding of foolery to his roles and developed the ideal image of what a fool should be in his eyes.
A generation before The Nest of Ninnies, Erasmus had already introduced "In Praise of Folly". Where Armin had drawn from the tradition of English Fools such as Will Somers, and added the flavor of the French fool societies. Erasmus drew his tradition from the German Howeglass. Howeglass had roots in old Jewish literature that had Solomon constantly foiled by fool who's wit seemed even to surpass his own. The Howeglass tradition is that of the fool reflecting our image back onto us in such a way as to tear the pretence of our self-image away and replace it with a comic truth. Eramus expands this reflection to include all humanity, for the "number of Fools is infinite" and in his monumental work holds a giant glass up to his own society.
While the Gest book continued to be the most prominent form of fool literature, eventually degenerating into the mere "Joke Book" the more analytical work had been introduced. While not exclusively dedicated to foolery E. K. Chambers "The Medieval Stage" looked at spiritual and ritual roots of foolery in the feast of fools, the boy bishop, the Morris dance the other forms of drama and comedy of the middle ages. See the Bookshelf
Even more fool specific academic works followed, such as Enid Welsford's the Fool, his Social and Literary History, Will Willefords' the Fool and His Scepter Dishers Clowns and Pantomimes and many others. But as the fool became more and more separated from his audience, appearing much more commonly on the movie or TV than on stage, the fool seemed to lose more and more of his mystique and the amount of literature that tries to understand the folly of foolery has diminished.
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