Fools through artists’ eyes
As part of the Festival of the Fool, we invite you to join this lively, illustrated online presentation, in which Beatrice Otto will share some gems...
Portrait of Thomas Killigrew
Thomas (or Tom) Killigrew (1612-83) was an actor, theatre manager and acknowledged jester to Charles II (r. 1660-85) - there is a reference in the...
Banning clerical jesters
The church had a complex relationship with fools; some priests or monks occasionally or regularly took on the fool's role, and that is discounting...
We Three Loggerheads
This early 17th century painting of two jesters and a marotte (fool's head bauble or stick) taps into the theme of 'Who's the missing fool?' in...
A one-legged fool
One of the fun things about walking around with a radar permanently programmed to scan the world for fools is the random pleasure of stumbling upon them in unexpected places. ...
Ban Gu – Biography of Dongfang Shuo
One of many sources concerning the clever and outspoken Dongfang Shuo 東方朔 (c. 160 - c. 93 BCE), part courtier, part jester and, according to some more outlandish claims, a...
A lady’s women jesters
GAP MAP: A gaping hole in our knowledge of jesters, at least in materials available in European languages, concerns examples from Russia. It would do a great service to foolology...
Not deeply philosophical
The jester Guo Sheren 郭舍人is often paired with Dongfang Shuo, coming off worst in riddle-battles. Here, Sima Qian 司馬遷 tells us that this favourite...
Every bathroom needs one
How about this for serendipity: strolling around the V&A, I couldn't believe my eyes when they spotted this drop-dead gorgeous towel-holder. Carved, painted and gilded oak, it was made in...
Wilt thou be my fool?
An anecdotal (or perhaps just fictive) account of how an historical jester was 'interviewed' by the king. Will Somers was indeed fool to Henry VIII (r. 1509-47) and appears in...
The satire of the sottie
The sottie was a genre of short, satirical play performed in France in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its name comes from 'sot' meaning 'fool', as many of the characters...
Take him off my hands
There are some surviving anecdotes on the informal and meritocratic way in which jesters could be recruited. Sometimes they were 'talent spotted' by the ruler or a courtier on their...
Gross roguery for guilders
Till Eulenspiegel is a folk fool and trickster whose exploits were recounted across Europe and translated into multiple languages. He moved freely, sometimes as a jester, sometimes a wandering rogue. ...
To buy the book, click one of the big bright buttons below, or the cover image.
(And thank you, it helps!)
Love foolsareeverywhere.com? Enjoy our sister sites:
www.nuannaarpoq.com I www.writingredux.com I www.spyderceleste.com
Design & content copyright: Beatrice Otto 2022 all rights reserved I header & related jester illustrations by joaomontenegro.com
Colours and fonts were chosen for aesthetic strength and because their names reflect the mission of foolsareeverywhere.com. Fonts: Quipley I Lustria I Wild Pen. Colours include: Jester Yellow by Faeriepuffs I New Laughter by Ilara ... you get the picture
0 Comments