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Fooling Around the World: The History of the Jester

press.uchicago.edu · 5,248 words · saved by 1 readers

"Mention a court jester, and one pictures a whimsical creature in a belled hat or, perhaps, the ill-fated character in King Lear. Otto's lively, well-researched text proves that there are centuries of other examples and that the jester has a rich tradition worldwide. . . . Through anecdotes, historical details, analyses, and commentary, Otto brilliantly delineates the court jester, and quotations and illustrations do much to enhance this eminently readable text. . . . Well worth a look by avid readers with an eye for an informative yet uncommon title." —Library Journal "[A] lively survey of the state-sponsored mischief maker and his irrepressible, life-giving spirit. . . . In her richly detailed chapters (and an appendix listing 334 named fools in the historical record), Otto makes a vigorous case for the jester's ubiquity—from the ancient Chinese court to the Elizabethan stage to the modern corporate suite—and for the consistency of his characteristics: attachment to a particular rule

Fooling Around the World: The History of the Jester "Mention a court jester, and one pictures a whimsical creature in a belled hat or, perhaps, the ill-fated character in King Lear. Otto's lively, well-researched text proves that there are centuries of other examples and that the jester has a rich tradition worldwide. . . . Through anecdotes, historical details, analyses, and commentary, Otto brilliantly delineates the court jester, and quotations and illustrations do much to enhance this eminently readable text. . . . Well worth a look by avid readers with an eye for an informative yet uncomm

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