Download the fantastic book titled Four Fools in the Age of Reason written by Dorinda Outram, available in its entirety in both PDF and EPUB formats for online reading. This page includes a concise summary, a preview of the book cover, and detailed information about "Four Fools in the Age of Reason", which was released on 12 April 2019. We suggest perusing the summary before initiating your download. This book is a top selection for enthusiasts of the History genre.
Summary of Four Fools in the Age of Reason by Dorinda Outram PDF
Unveiling the nearly lost world of the court fools of eighteenth-century Germany, Dorinda Outram shows that laughter was an essential instrument of power. Whether jovial or cruel, mirth altered social and political relations. Outram takes us first to the court of Frederick William I of Prussia, who emerges not only as an administrative reformer and notorious militarist but also as a "master of fools," a ruler who used fools to prop up his uncertain power. The autobiography of the itinerant fool Peter Prosch affords a rare insider’s view of the small courts in Catholic south Germany, Austria, and Bavaria. Full of sharp observations of prelates and princes, the autobiography also records episodes of the extraordinary cruelty for which the German princely courts were notorious. Joseph Fröhlich, court fool in Dresden, presents more appealing facets of foolery. A sharp salesman and hero of the Meissen factories, he was deeply attached to the folk life of fooling. The book ends by tying the growth of Enlightenment skepticism to the demise of court foolery around 1800. Outram’s book is invaluable for giving us such a vivid depiction of the court fool and especially for revealing how this figure can shed new light on the wielding of power in Enlightenment Europe.
Detail About Four Fools in the Age of Reason PDF
- Author : Dorinda Outram
- Publisher : University of Virginia Press
- Genre : History
- Total Pages : 184 pages
- ISBN : 0813942020
- Release Date : 12 April 2019
- PDF File Size : 9,9 Mb
- Language : English
- Rating : 4/5 from 21 reviews
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