It was neat to read about the 'real' Tyll Eulenspiegel, who appears as Tyll Ulenspiegel in Daniel Kehlmann's Tyll - probably the best book I read last year. I also liked the discussion about how we can classify a jester or fool, and how they were distinct from tricksters, performers, and musicians - but could have those skills themselves.Īnd of course, some of the anecdotes were very entertaining. It was interesting to see the freedom these men and women had, how often they were truly loved by those they served, and how they could intervene on behalf of someone of lesser status to the ruler. I've become quite interested in fools are jesters myself, so there was still plenty to enjoy here when it was more analysis-driven. One story has a jester about to be beheaded by two people (why would you need two?) and he ducks at the last second, and they both decapitate each other instead.īut I don't want to just go on about the negatives. But to me, many of these read almost like parables, or some sort of fable or story. It is only the duplication that raises doubts" (as similar stories appear across time and place, attributed to different individuals). This is something Otto addresses in the introduction, but she concludes that "many such anecdotes are perfectly convincing as history when taken in isolation. Then it's just anecdote after anecdote after anecdote.Īnd I guess I had a bit of trouble believing the veracity of some of these anecdotes. The chapters tend to start off well, with Otto providing an argument or theme, and some analysis. So every single one has to be introduced individually - often at length. And because you're not working within a certain time frame or certain geographical location, there is no context for these anecdotes. And it gets overwhelming, and repetitive. It feels like for every point Otto discusses, we get numerous examples from different countries and time periods. But, that leads to the reader being bombarded with examples. Like, I get why she would want to do this if you're arguing that fools and jesters are a universal thing, then you need to be able to show that. It's basically any fools anywhere, in any court, in any country, at any time period. I think the fault lies mostly in the scope Otto chooses to work within. Partly because I was so excited to read it, partly because it's very well researched and clearly written with a lot of love for the topic. To sum up this book, I would say: Incredibly interesting, but overly ambitious in its scope. This is a new experience as she hasn't written fiction since she was a child - fantastically liberating - you don't need compelling arguments and evidence, just an imagination roaming freely. She is now working on a series of adventure stories featuring a fool. ![]() Her reviews on Goodreads are all 5-star because she hasn't the patience to comment on those that don't hit her 'bestellar' standards. In addition to reading and writing all she can, she is on a mission to highlight bright writing, creating a website to celebrate thousands of moving, striking or amusing quotations and fresh, original phrasing and metaphors, along with the books in which she found them. Some children's picture and story books, and vivid Time-Life photographic books. She's always loved books and remembers leafing through them even before she could read. Inspired by ancient biographies of Chinese court jesters, Beatrice's first book was Fools Are Everywhere: The Court Jester Around the World, which won the American Association of Publishers Award for Outstanding Book of the Year in its class. Written with wit and humor, Fools Are Everywhere is the most comprehensive look at these roguish characters who risked their necks not only to mock and entertain but also to fulfill a deep and widespread human and social need. Most of the work on the court jester has concentrated on Europe Otto draws on previously untranslated classical Chinese writings and other sources to correct this bias and also looks at jesters in literature, mythology, and drama. With a wealth of anecdotes, jokes, quotations, epigraphs, and illustrations (including flip art), Otto brings to light little-known jesters, highlighting their humanizing influence on people with power and position and placing otherwise remote historical figures in a more idiosyncratic, intimate light. Though not always clad in cap and bells, these witty, quirky characters crop up everywhere, from the courts of ancient China and the Mogul emperors of India to those of medieval Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas. Otto takes us on a journey around the world in search of one of the most colorful characters in history-the court jester.
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