PERHAPS A GIFT VOUCHER FOR MUM?: MOTHER'S DAY

Close Notification

Your cart does not contain any items

Fools Are Everywhere

The Court Jester around the World

Beatrice K. Otto

$65.95

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

QTY:

English
University of Chicago Press
01 August 2007
In this lively work, Beatrice K. Otto takes us on a journey around the world in search of one of the most colorful characters in history—the court jester. Though not always clad in cap and bells, these witty, quirky characters crop up everywhere, from the courts of ancient China and the Mogul emperors of India to those of medieval Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas. With a wealth of anecdotes, jokes, quotations, epigraphs, and illustrations (including flip art), Otto brings to light little-known jesters, highlighting their humanizing influence on people with power and position and placing otherwise remote historical figures in a more idiosyncratic, intimate light.

Most of the work on the court jester has concentrated on Europe; Otto draws on previously untranslated classical Chinese writings and other sources to correct this bias and also looks at jesters in literature, mythology, and drama. Written with wit and humor, Fools Are Everywhere is the most comprehensive look at these roguish characters who risked their necks not only to mock and entertain but also to fulfill a deep and widespread human and social need.

By:  
Imprint:   University of Chicago Press
Country of Publication:   United States
Edition:   New edition
Dimensions:   Height: 23mm,  Width: 15mm,  Spine: 3mm
Weight:   680g
ISBN:   9780226640921
ISBN 10:   0226640922
Pages:   444
Publication Date:  
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Beatrice K. Otto lives and works in Geneva.

Reviews for Fools Are Everywhere: The Court Jester around the World

"""Through anecdotes, historical details, analyses, and commentary, Otto brilliantly delineates the court jester, and quotations and illustrations do much to enhance this eminently readable text."" - Library Journal"""


See Also