Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam (c. 1466-1536) was one of the most influential Renaissance humanists, and his 1509 satire Praise of Folly has become his best-known and most popular work. Originally written in Latin, the book is presented as a long speech or “declamation” delivered by a personified Folly. Erasmus uses the character of Folly as a mouthpiece to criticize and to poke fun at the foibles of human nature in general as well as many of the institutions and mores of his day, both within and outside the church. Using sarcasm, irony, wit, and a wealth of erudite allusions to classical literature, Erasmus depicts folly as a potent force in human affairs. The book concludes with a depiction of sincere Christian belief as a positive and redemptive form of folly that has the potential to give humankind a sense of spiritual ecstasy while elevating humans above the cares of the world.

Erasmus claimed to have written Praise of Folly in one week while staying at the home of his friend Sir Thomas More in London; the book’s Latin title, Moriae Encomium, is a play on More’s name. The book went through a number of revisions during Erasmus’s lifetime and provoked a wide variety of reactions, from praise to attack. For example, Pope Leo X greatly enjoyed and was amused by it, while another churchman believed Erasmus was attempting to destroy the church through his satire. Erasmus defended and clarified many aspects of Praise of Folly in his 1515 letter to Maarten Van Dorp, a young theologian who had criticized the work. Erasmus’s satire has been credited with drawing public attention to many of the abuses in the church which would lead to the Protestant and Catholic Reformations.

This guide will refer to the Penguin Classics edition of Praise of Folly, while also incorporating section headings found in a 1942 edition by Walter J. Black Inc. for ease of reading and study.

Summary

Folly, pictured as a woman wearing a fool’s costume, introduces herself at an assembly and declares that, although unappreciated and unrecognized, she is responsible for man’s happiness. She will therefore deliver a “eulogy” to herself. She explains her family history and introduces her attendants and goes on to speak of the influence she has on the life of man. She says that marriages and childbirth would never exist without her, and old age becomes softened and mitigated by her. Even the gods are in her debt, as their behavior proves. Folly describes women as foolish because they constantly strive for beauty and to please men, while men are even more ridiculous because a woman’s beauty causes them to engage in absurd acts. Folly is essential as public gatherings must include folly to be amusing. Friendships would never succeed without folly, because people tell themselves that their friends’ quirks are their highest virtues. In fact, all relationships on earth—including marriage—need folly and flattery to proceed harmoniously. Folly argues that self-love is not a bad thing, and people must like themselves in order to accomplish anything of worth. According to Folly, projects would never come to fruition if not for her, and besides, people tend to like the fool better than the wise man; after all, the fool is entertaining and tells the truth without giving offense and, sometimes, a foolish illusion is preferable to the brutal truth.

In the second half of the book, Folly criticizes various social and professional classes. She starts with lawyers and doctors, then touches on philosophers, gamblers, hunters, superstitious folk, authors of books, poets, businessmen, grammarians, people who obsess about their bloodline and ancestry, artists and even entire nations and cities. All of these people, Folly says, display a high level of folly, as demonstrated by their smugness, silliness, and irrelevance. She specifically targets theologians; they are, she says, more indebted to her than any other class of people because they take pride in their obscure arguments and interpret scripture to fit their opinions and theses. Worse, theologians confound their listeners with confusing turns of phrase and ignore the true message of Christ. Monks forget about the gospel while popes, cardinals, and bishops live a life of luxury. Even princes and secular rulers ignore their people, indulging their own whims.

In the final few chapters of the book, Folly turns to the idea of the Christian fool. Scripture praises simplicity and ignorance, and Christ and St. Paul talked of meekness and humility. Christ was, Folly says, the greatest fool of all, because he became sin in order to redeem sinners. To Folly, these examples prove that the Christian religion more resembles folly than wisdom. As well, Folly points out that a Christian is supposed seek divine transformation, an aspiration that suggests madness, and become as close to God as possible. Folly finishes with a reminder to her listeners to enjoy life as much as possible as the most illustrious disciples of Folly.