China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, Liao dynasty, primary source, quotes, stories
A paradox of the jester’s method is that they could hit home all the better for using the indirect means of jokes, stories and other roundabout ways of getting a point across. Is there something we can learn here? A Chinese official is described in his...
11th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Song dynasty, stories
Chinese jesters didn’t hesitate to mock the great names of Chinese thinking and religion, including Confucius. And just as jesters everywhere could be upbraided for such irreverence, here we see an official presenting a memo to the emperor to complain of the...
6th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, Northern Qi, primary source, quotes, stories
There are several stories of Chinese jesters running punning rings around this or that sage scholar or religious master. When Emperor Gaozu of the Northern Qi 北齊高祖 (r. 550-59) held an erudite gathering, his jester Shi Dongtong 石動筩 (Moving Bucket) mocked one of the...
16th century, England, English, Europe, historical figure, quotes, research
The humanist writer and entertainer John Heywood (c. 1497 – c. 1580) used the padding of a jester’s folly to deliver his political views more effectively and to build bridges among factions. He spoke in a direct manner to Henry VIII but with sufficient...
11th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Song dynasty, stories
During the Tianxi reign period (1017-21) of Song Zhenzong 宋真宗 (r. 997-1022), Yang Danian, Qian Wenxi, Yan Yuanxian and Liu Ziyi all won a place at court by virtue of their literary achievements. Their poetry belonged to the school of Li Shangyin 李商隐 (813-58) and...
17th century, Europe, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Spain, Spanish
The 17th century Spanish writer and jurist Cristóbal Suárez de Figueroa lashes out at jesters. A rare example of such strong antipathy, even at the tail-end of the great age of European jesterdom. Regrettably, he doesn’t really tell us why they irk him so. ...
2nd century BCE, China, Chinese, East Asia, Han dynasty, historical figure, primary source, quotes, stories
The irrepressibly bumptious Dongfang Shuo told the emperor what he thought of scholars, in terms of brazen self-praise. Emperor Han Wudi 漢武帝 (r. 141-87 BCE) gave him a long list of some of the most renowned literary names in Chinese history and asked him how he...
1st century, correspondence, Europe, historical figure, Italy, Latin, primary source, quotes
In a letter to Lucilius, Seneca comments unfavourably on his wife’s fool and on fools in general. He then goes on to tell us that Harpaste became blind and, revealing her foolishness, she asked her attendant to move her to other quarters as hers had become...
