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Praise of Folly and Letter to Maarten van Dorp (Penguin Classics) Paperback – March 1, 1994

by Desiderius Erasmus (Author), A. H. T. Levi (Editor, Introduction), Betty Radice (Translator)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 204 ratings
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Erasmus of Rotterdam (c. 1466-1536) is one of the greatest figures of the Renaissance humanist movement, which abandoned medieval pieties in favour of a rich new vision of the individual's potential. Praise of Folly, written to amuse his friend Sir Thomas More, is Erasmus's best-known work. Its dazzling mixture of fantasy and satire is narrated by a personification of Folly, dressed as a jester, who celebrates youth, pleasure, drunkenness and sexual desire, and goes on to lambast human pretensions, foibles and frailties, to mock theologians and monks and to praise the 'folly' of simple Christian piety. Erasmus's wit, wordplay and wisdom made the book an instant success, but it also attracted what may have been sales-boosting criticism. The Letter to Maarten van Dorp, which is a defence of his ideas and methods, is also included.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Penguin Classics
  4. Publication date
    March 1, 1994
  5. Reading age
    18 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    7.75 x 5.04 x 0.65 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0140446087
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0140446081
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Desiderius Erasmus, (born October 27, 1469, Rotterdam, Holland—died July 12, 1536, Basel, Switzerland) was the greatest scholar of the northern Renaissance, the first editor of the New Testament, and an important figure in classical literature. He helped lay the groundwork for the historical-critical study of the past, and his educational writings contributed to the replacement of the older scholastic curriculum by the new humanist emphasis on the classics. By criticizing ecclesiastical abuses, he encouraged the growing urge for reform, and his independent stance in an age of fierce controversy made him a target of suspicion for loyal partisans on both sides and a beacon for those who valued liberty over orthodoxy.


Betty Radice read classics at Oxford, and became joint editor of Penguin Classics in 1964. As well as editing the translation of Livy’s The War with Hannibal she translated Livy’s Rome and Italy, Pliny’s Letters, The Letters of Abelard and Heloise and Erasmus’s Praise of Folly, and also wrote the introduction to Horace’s Complete Odes and Epodes, all for Penguin Classics. She also edited Edward Gibbon’s Memoirs of My Life for the Penguin English Library, and edited and annotated her translation of the younger Pliny’s works for the Loeb Library of Classics and translated from Renaissance Latin, Greek and Italian for the Officina Bodoni of Verona. She collaborated as a translator in the Collected Works of Erasmus, and was the author of the Penguin Reference Book Who’s Who in the Ancient World. Betty Radice was an honorary fellow of St Hilda’s College, Oxford, and a vice-president of the Classical Association. She died in 1985.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Classics; Revised ed. edition (March 1, 1994)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140446087
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0140446081
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7.75 x 5.04 x 0.65 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 204 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
204 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

rjames
5.0 out of 5 stars A precursor to the reformation.
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2020
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The book was written when the Reformation was about to happen. The introduction gives an excellent overview of the religious and political situation, of the turn from Latin texts to vernacular texts with the challenge to the hierarchical authority of Rome.
2 people found this helpful
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Jim D.
5.0 out of 5 stars The personal philosophy of Folly, the ancient god of foolishness.
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2013
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This book was written by Erasmus, but it is presented as a first person narrative of Folly, the god responsible for foolishness. Sixteenth century literature is not easy to read and while it appears to be presented in a light-hearted manner, Folly lacks no barbs in commenting on the human race. In the first third of the book (there are no chapters or other indicators) he talks about human nature in general: There are two types of human beings; the serious and wise men who live their lives based on established ideas, and the rest of us who do foolish things without considering the consequences, tend to enjoy life, new adventures and new ideas. The next third of the book is directed toward individual professions before moving to the princes and kings who do not like the wise men because they tell the truth, whereas royalty prefers those who tell them how great they are and support their foolish ideas. In the final third of the book, Folly gets warmed up to his philosophizing, and moves on to the delights in the folly of all organized religion. In retrospect, Folly, as an ancient god, considered himself on equal terms with Zeus, Mars and Venus and all the other gods. While they needed the assurance of temples and worship, Folly could look and easily see that the human race strongly supported his view of life; in other words, appreciate the fact that humans are venturesome. Folly gives us what we have today and not what was considered established and unchangeable with the past. Personally, I support Folly!
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Phred
4.0 out of 5 stars One of Western Civ’s great documents. A modern reader may want an edition that provides more help
Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2017
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Bottom Line: This review is of the Kindle edition of Erasmus’s In Praise of folly. Mine has a very good intro written by Jean Asta and no additional footnotes or commentary. My opinions aside, Praise of Folly is an important book in Western Civilization. It is worthy of your time on its own merit. The style of the period tends to weigh the humor down and a lack of internal division can make it a difficult read.

Unless you come to this book as a student of Western Literature or a related educated background having some context before you begin In Praise of Folly is critical. This is fairly well provided in the Introduction. From small things like; the original Latin title can be read as a playful pun directed at England’s Sir Thomas Moore. The two had become friends while Erasmus was visiting him in England and the book was begun if not entirely written under Moore’s roof. The historic context is that Erasmus was also in close contact with Martin Luther. Much of what Erasmus prints in In Praise of Folly is at the expense of some contemporary Roman Catholic practice. Luther had an expectation that its author would follow him into the Protestant schism. Luther would not take it well when Erasmus chose to remaina Catholic. Indeed he had been a monk and am ordained priest. He lived as a scholar, thinker and writer. He is best known as a central figure in the creation of the Humanist Philosophy.

In Praise of Folly is written in the form of a speech given by the Goddess of Folly making her claim of the primacy of Folly in human affairs. Her argument is intentionally faulty and occasionally contradictory but this is all part of the satire. Typical of Folly’s argument is an early one wherein she states that all humans are born in an act of folly. This is a favorite passage of mine, if only because it is early in the book. By the end of the book, about 85 pages, intro included, Folly has touched upon every phase of human life and made some pointed jests some of the extremes and apparent contradictions in religious practice.

It is said that humor does not travel well across time. There are parts to this short book that left me smiling. I cannot claim to have understood many references. There is near the end an appeal to a very aesthetics religious outlook even at the expense of what we now call the sciences. Does Folly/Erasmus intend this to be taken literally or sardonically? Annotation and or footnoting would be a major help in addressing that which is obscured by history or requiring additional context.

By the end of Folly, I felt as though I had been reading a run on sentence. There are distinct parts built into the flow of Folly’s speech. These could have been sectioned off, if only by skipping a few lines between them. The author may not have them in the original. Either way, the cascade of words with no breaks and the heavy, wordy style of the day made this a less pleasant read than it was intended. The right scholars may be able to read this and savor every joke and twist. For the rest a few explanations would help. These are not the fault of the Erasmus, but a recommendation that a better edition might include this additional help.
34 people found this helpful
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Macaroix
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most clever books I’ve ever read
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2018
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An engaging and hilarious satire on life, and ancient history. The Penguin edition has great endnotes for informing the rest of us that weren’t classically educated.
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Top reviews from other countries

Panta Rhei
5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptionally clever
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 27, 2021
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Exceptionally clever book that sits comfortably with Plato, Montaigne, St Augustine, Marcus Aurelius and Pliny (younger) et al. A must reader for observers of humanity.
2 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars very beautiful
Reviewed in India on October 7, 2017
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very beautiful
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a guidry
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on February 22, 2016
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previously read but wanted it for more careful reading.
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Marcia
5.0 out of 5 stars Good
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2021
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Arrived undamaged & on time.
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Kevin J.
4.0 out of 5 stars Erasmus, "In Praise of Folly"
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 21, 2013
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'In Praise of Folly ' written in the 16th century by the Humanist Desiderius Erasmus, and here translated from the Latin makes a very strong statement of religious practice and ideals during the early Reformation period of the 16th century. This, as well as his other contributions to Late Medieval literature was to inspire the great reformers in the years that followed.
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3 people found this helpful
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