20th century, England, fictive fool, primary source, quotes
Once I was asked what motivated me to study fools and jesters, and I answered ‘envy’. A little of that, and a lot of admiration for their various skills and resilience. This quote of Kenneth Grahame perhaps conveys the exuberant spirit of the fool. Oh,...
Europe, fictive fool, Ireland, Irish, primary source, quotes
From the Ulster Cycle in Irish mythology, we are introduced to Rocmid, jester of the king of Ulster Conchobar / Conchubar. ‘I saw another man with Conchubar,’ said Mac Roth, ‘and he having a smooth, dark face, and white eyes in his head; a long...
10th century, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Southern Tang, stories
Here a jester cracks a joke in response to a question from the emperor, not only making him laugh but also persuading him to ease excessive taxes. This isn’t the only example of Chinese jesters intervening to reduce taxes, and we will be sharing other such...
bibliography, book, canon, England, Europe, folk fool, France, German, Germany, Greece, historical figure, Italy, primary source, research, Russia, Spain, Turkey
Published in 1789, Flögel’s hefty 500+ page history of court jesters is breathtaking in its scope and scholarship; arguably the first serious such sweeping study in any Western language. It is the well-spring from which many subsequent leading works draw,...
bibliography, book, canon, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, research
For any serious study of Chinese jesters, this is the ‘Bible’, bringing together practically the full spectrum of primary source accounts of jester doings and sayings stretching over a few millennia. Quoting well over 400 stories, skits and anecdotes from histories,...
10th century, 7th century BCE, China, Chinese, East Asia, historical figure, primary source, quotes, Southern Tang, stories
In China, as in Europe, there are examples of jesters addressing the delicate issue of the ruler’s neglecting affairs of state due to over indulgence in wine or other distractions. We’ll be sharing these in the coming months, but for now, in general they...
