Project Gutenberg 2005-11-01 Public domain in the USA. 773 Erasmus, Desiderius 1469 1536 Erasmus, of Rotterdam Wilson, John 1626 1696 Wilson, J. (John) Moriae encomium. English The Praise of Folly Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Praise_of_Folly Produced by Robert Shimmin and PG Distributed Proofreaders. HTML version by Al Haines "The Praise of Folly" by Desiderius Erasmus is a satirical oration written during the early 16th century. The work is presented as a speech by Folly herself, who seeks to humorously extol her own virtues while critiquing the foolishness inherent in human behavior and society. Through mock-serious tones and witty reflections on the characteristics of folly, Erasmus invites readers to reconsider the value placed on wisdom and seriousness in life. At the start of the text, Erasmus addresses his friend Thomas More, setting a light-hearted and convivial stage for the speech that follows. Folly personifies herself as a deity, claiming her influence over gods and men alike. She playfully argues that her presence brings joy and pleasure to life while highlighting the absurdities and contradictions of human nature, particularly those associated with wisdom, self-importance, and social pretensions. Folly clearly forms her own “household” of figures akin to self-love, pleasure, and laziness, establishing a vibrant tableau that illustrates how her reign impacts relationships and societal norms. Throughout these passages, she makes both light and profound observations, suggesting that embracing folly might lead to a happier and more fulfilled existence than pursuing relentless wisdom and seriousness. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 61.6 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en Folly -- Early works to 1800 Folly -- Religious aspects -- Christianity PA Text Banned Books from Anne Haight's list Category: Essays, Letters & Speeches Category: Classics of Literature Category: Philosophy & Ethics 233923 2025-08-04T08:47:01.538297 text/html 230166 2014-10-03T08:59:10 text/html 151716 2025-08-04T08:47:06.293271 application/epub+zip 154376 2025-08-04T08:47:03.276299 application/epub+zip 154376 2025-08-04T08:47:02.161290 application/epub+zip 274279 2025-08-04T08:47:08.686246 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 264913 2025-08-04T08:47:05.654258 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 239825 2022-09-05T03:58:32.186542 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 225938 2025-08-04T08:47:01.251322 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 225736 2014-10-03T08:59:16 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 225727 2014-10-03T08:59:14 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 22135 2025-08-04T08:47:08.839242 application/rdf+xml 12515 2025-08-04T08:47:02.707294 image/jpeg 3222 2025-08-04T08:47:02.462284 image/jpeg 86476 2014-10-03T09:00:06 application/octet-stream application/zip 87491 2014-10-03T09:00:06 application/octet-stream application/zip 86457 2014-10-03T09:00:06 application/octet-stream application/zip 150179 2025-08-04T08:47:01.559290 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia en.wikipedia nl.wikipedia