PDF The Praise of Folly Classic Reprint Desiderius Erasmus 9781330551851 Books

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Excerpt from The Praise of Folly

HE works of Erasmus, which have so greatly enriched the literature of the world, have survived the lapse of centuries that have passed; and, because they contain that one touch of nature which makes the whole world kin, they will survive the lapse of untold centuries yet to come. His description of the bigotry and superstition - the ignorance and credulity of the masses of his day, is as true now as it was when first given to the world and his account of the pleadings and preachings - the pretensions and presumptions of the dominant priesthood - is as ap plicable to the twentieth, as to the fifteenth century in which it was written.

Under the pleasing mask of Folly our author has uttered truths which are indeed sublime, and in the witty language of the Jester he has exposed the fallacies of that Faith which has, not inaptly, been defined by an inspired writer in the New Testament, as the evidence of things not seen, and the substance of things hoped for.

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PDF The Praise of Folly Classic Reprint Desiderius Erasmus 9781330551851 Books

"This has got to be the oldest book I’ve yet to read. And, appropriately enough, it strives to be the wisest, but cleverly (ironically?) disguising itself as a praise of folly. Erasmus makes oodles of valid points and doesn’t lack in eloquence either, but it’s something of an obstacle course to get through. In all fairness, Erasmus is a splendid sophist, limber linguist and a sophisticated syllogist, one seemingly as partial to hearing himself pontificate as I am to alliterations…and yet the man does go on, and on, and on. Sure, there’s plenty to say in praise of folly, after all there are entirely too many happy fools, and Erasmus isn’t alone in noting this either, in fact Ecclesiastes had done this extensively…increasing knowledge increases sorrow and all that, both are correct, but then again here were are reading them, therefore increasing knowledge, therefore drifting further away from sunny shores of ignorance. Erasmus has some interesting and downright heretical (or at the very least rebellious) views for the time and some oh so clever ways of turning phrases, most of which consist of paragraph long sentences, but as far as reading for pleasure goes this one leaves much to be desired. Despite a low page count it’s something of a slog and definitely a challenge. Conceptually and historically fascinating and might delight fans of ancient and antiquated thinkers, but far from a casual pleasure, more along the lines of an experimental and/or endurance exercise."

Product details Paperback 332 pages Publisher Forgotten Books (January 23, 2019) Language English ISBN-10 1330551850

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The Praise of Folly Classic Reprint Desiderius Erasmus 9781330551851 Books Reviews :

The Praise of Folly Classic Reprint Desiderius Erasmus 9781330551851 Books Reviews

• This is a review of this edition of "In Praise of Folly". It is not a review of Erasmus' work, except indirectly. I bought this version from and have read it through.
  Short version this edition is probably worth 99 cents, but don't expect too much.
  1. It is an unaltered "reprint" in digital form of the 1876 London edition by Reeves & Turner and includes the charming woodcut illustrations.
  2. The translation (unattributed) is a version of Kennett's 1683 translation, which was updated in the 18th century and often reprinted without attribution, since it is in the public domain. It is a pretty free translation, not particularly accurate, but with a charming turn of phrase. Very lively. But if a 200 year old translation will annoy you, don't get this one. Buy either Clarence Miller's or Betty Radice's translations from the 1970s. Both are on , Miller on . Miller is the most thorough, with the best helpful footnotes, and IMHO the best version to get. Get the paperback, not the , if you want to easily see the notes. Radice may be more readable, depending on your tastes.
  3. As usual, this edition is full of scanning errors. ("Doesn't any human being proofread these things?" he asked foolishly.) Periods have disappeared, but the following capital letter will help. Words are misspelled clumb for climb, Une for line, and so on. Most are obvious. One particularly egregious example is Just for lust, a mistake which will really make you think "Why is Just such a bad thing?"
  In short, if you are willing to put up with errors and somewhat old-fashioned language, 99 cents may be a reasonable price for the convenience of having this classic on .
• Bottom Line This review is of the edition of Erasmus’s In Praise of folly. Mine has a very good intro written by Jean Asta and no additional footnotes or commentary. My opinions aside, Praise of Folly is an important book in Western Civilization. It is worthy of your time on its own merit. The style of the period tends to weigh the humor down and a lack of internal division can make it a difficult read.
  
  Unless you come to this book as a student of Western Literature or a related educated background having some context before you begin In Praise of Folly is critical. This is fairly well provided in the Introduction. From small things like; the original Latin title can be read as a playful pun directed at England’s Sir Thomas Moore. The two had become friends while Erasmus was visiting him in England and the book was begun if not entirely written under Moore’s roof. The historic context is that Erasmus was also in close contact with Martin Luther. Much of what Erasmus prints in In Praise of Folly is at the expense of some contemporary Roman Catholic practice. Luther had an expectation that its author would follow him into the Protestant schism. Luther would not take it well when Erasmus chose to remaina Catholic. Indeed he had been a monk and am ordained priest. He lived as a scholar, thinker and writer. He is best known as a central figure in the creation of the Humanist Philosophy.
  
  In Praise of Folly is written in the form of a speech given by the Goddess of Folly making her claim of the primacy of Folly in human affairs. Her argument is intentionally faulty and occasionally contradictory but this is all part of the satire. Typical of Folly’s argument is an early one wherein she states that all humans are born in an act of folly. This is a favorite passage of mine, if only because it is early in the book. By the end of the book, about 85 pages, intro included, Folly has touched upon every phase of human life and made some pointed jests some of the extremes and apparent contradictions in religious practice.
  
  It is said that humor does not travel well across time. There are parts to this short book that left me smiling. I cannot claim to have understood many references. There is near the end an appeal to a very aesthetics religious outlook even at the expense of what we now call the sciences. Does Folly/Erasmus intend this to be taken literally or sardonically? Annotation and or footnoting would be a major help in addressing that which is obscured by history or requiring additional context.
  
  By the end of Folly, I felt as though I had been reading a run on sentence. There are distinct parts built into the flow of Folly’s speech. These could have been sectioned off, if only by skipping a few lines between them. The author may not have them in the original. Either way, the cascade of words with no breaks and the heavy, wordy style of the day made this a less pleasant read than it was intended. The right scholars may be able to read this and savor every joke and twist. For the rest a few explanations would help. These are not the fault of the Erasmus, but a recommendation that a better edition might include this additional help.
• This has got to be the oldest book I’ve yet to read. And, appropriately enough, it strives to be the wisest, but cleverly (ironically?) disguising itself as a praise of folly. Erasmus makes oodles of valid points and doesn’t lack in eloquence either, but it’s something of an obstacle course to get through. In all fairness, Erasmus is a splendid sophist, limber linguist and a sophisticated syllogist, one seemingly as partial to hearing himself pontificate as I am to alliterations…and yet the man does go on, and on, and on. Sure, there’s plenty to say in praise of folly, after all there are entirely too many happy fools, and Erasmus isn’t alone in noting this either, in fact Ecclesiastes had done this extensively…increasing knowledge increases sorrow and all that, both are correct, but then again here were are reading them, therefore increasing knowledge, therefore drifting further away from sunny shores of ignorance. Erasmus has some interesting and downright heretical (or at the very least rebellious) views for the time and some oh so clever ways of turning phrases, most of which consist of paragraph long sentences, but as far as reading for pleasure goes this one leaves much to be desired. Despite a low page count it’s something of a slog and definitely a challenge. Conceptually and historically fascinating and might delight fans of ancient and antiquated thinkers, but far from a casual pleasure, more along the lines of an experimental and/or endurance exercise.