The Praise of Folly by Desiderius Erasmus

"The Praise of Folly" by Desiderius Erasmus is an oration written in Latin in 1509. In this Renaissance masterwork, the goddess Folly takes center stage to praise herself and mock every corner of human society—from lovers and princes to priests and scholars. What begins as playful satire grows increasingly sharp, targeting religious corruption and self-deception. Yet this spiraling attack contains a surprising twist: beneath the mockery lies an orthodox Christian message about divine wisdom and human foolishness, pivoting ultimately toward the folly of the cross. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

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About this eBook

Author Erasmus, Desiderius, 1469-1536
Translator Wilson, John, 1626-1696
Uniform Title Moriae encomium. English
Title The Praise of Folly
Note Wikipedia page about this book: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Praise_of_Folly
Credits Produced by Robert Shimmin and PG Distributed Proofreaders.
HTML version by Al Haines
Reading Level Reading ease score: 61.6 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.
Language English
LoC Class PA: Language and Literatures: Classical Languages and Literature
Subject Folly -- Early works to 1800
Subject Folly -- Religious aspects -- Christianity
Category Text
EBook-No. 9371
Release Date
Most Recently Updated Oct 3, 2014
Copyright Status Public domain in the USA.
Downloads 985 downloads in the last 30 days.
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