In this lively work, Beatrice K. Otto takes us
around the world in search of one of the most colorful characters in
history—the court jester. These quick-witted,
quirky characters crop up everywhere, from the courts of ancient China
and Mogul India to those of medieval Europe, Africa, the Middle East,
and the Americas. A cornucopia of anecdotes, jokes, quotations,
epigraphs, and illustrations (including flip art) brings to light
little-known jesters, highlighting their humanizing influence on the
head honchos of history, and shining a more idiosyncratic, intimate
light on figures of power and position.
Written with wit and humor, Fools Are
Everywhere is the most comprehensive look at these
roguish, vital personalities who risked their necks not only to mock
and entertain but also to fulfill a deep and widespread human and
social need.
|
Fools Are Everywhere
The
Court Jester Around the World
by Beatrice K. Otto
University of Chicago Press,
2007
Order
a copy
|
