Desiderius Erasmus Selection From the Praise of Folly

Praise of Folly

Desiderius Erasmus' story "The Praise of Folly" is a pointed satirical work that serves many purposes that the art of literature uniquely presents. The purpose of this essay is to examine the written work to explore several themes. This argument will describe and explain the author's use of criticism and satire by highlighting certain passages of the text that best demonstrate these tools. This essay will also compare Erasmus' use of satire with its use by today's social critics. Finally this essay will remark about this work as it is presented in its parent text book.

The Praise of Folly is divided into three different parts or sections that help seperate the author's criticisms. The story is narrated by Folly herself as she presents herself in front of a crowd of wearing an outlandish costume. Folly proclaims her many admirable traits and begins to rant on her special gifts. On stage, Folly is accompanied by her attendants. While her attendants are real people they are there to represent the certain aspects of folly and absurd behavior. Some of these attendants are Philautia, Kolakia, Lethe and Anoia. Erasmus is making an allusion to self worship, flattery, absent-mindedness and stupidity using these characters.

The real purpose of this work, it appears is the specific criticism for designated parts of the society. Folly harshly criticized various academic and social classes. Folly does not hold back as she humorously trashes lawyers, doctors, philosophers, gamblers, hunters, superstitious folk, authors, poets, businessmen, artists and performers, and even nations and cities themselves. It seems no one is left out of this critique.

Her specific criticisms for the established writing class revolves around their blind alliance to their own subjective point-of-view. The text reads, " Not only are they ignorant of themselves, they cannot avoid falling into a ditch or stumbling over a rock in the path (perhaps they are bleary-eyed from studying or just absent-minded); yet they claim to know about abstract ideas, universals, separate forms, primary matter, quiddities, and different modes of being -objects so phantasmal I doubt Lynceus himself could make them out." Folly pointed out that there is a silly element in even approaching some of these objects, yet somehow this silliness remains a human trait.

Folly continued her rant against religion and priestly orders. During the Renaissance time, the Church was undergoing some serious changes as the result of the Protestant Reformation led by Martin Luther. Erasmus seems to have been right in the middle of this upheaval as harsh words are directed towards this group for several sections of the text. Religious dogma is a target of Folly's words. She claimed " imagine how much pleasure they get from shaping and reshaping the holy scripture at will, as if it was made of wax, while they demand that their own decrees shall be observed, as soon as a few schoolmen have subscribed to them, more strictly than the laws of Solon, and shall even be placed above papal edicts."

Folly continues to complain about the biblical and religious texts. These scriptures express pure ignorance promoting false wisdom and adherence to the ways of the world. The argument is made that the whole Christian religion bears more of a resemblance to folly than wisdom. This equivocation is made very clear when Folly proclaimed "and now to sum up (lest I go on with these citations to infinity), the entire Christian religion seems to bear a certain natural affinity to folly, and to relate far less clearly to wisdom."

Today's Critics vs. Folly and The Importance of This Reading

It appears that folly is needed much more today than at any other time of history. There is a widespread fog of ultra-seriousness that resonates throughout today's society. Folly appears to be reserved for children and people of lesser importance. Critics, it appears, are part of the system that needs to be exposed to the pure absurdity of their methods. Hyperbolic threats of world collapse always seems to accompany such critical demonstrations that leave the reader confused to as the accuracy of these critiques.

Society refuses to look at itself in any honest or useful fashion as it would rather pass the buck to some other entity for its problems. Self-examination ultimately leads to self responsibility and eventually ownership of one's own destiny. This is not a very popular idea. Reliance on institutions and a new priest class of educated professionals attempts to reduce the common person into a helpless system of failure and confusion. Comedians are today's satirists and finding one who will speak on issues that confront the power structures of society are rare. Instead, satire has been replaced with dumbed-down presentations that coddle to these imperial forces instead of challenging their authority as Erasmus successfully accomplished in his work.