To: K-list
Recieved: 2002/10/07 18:15
Subject: [K-list] Brief History of the Fool
From: contour5
On 2002/10/07 18:15, contour5 posted thus to the K-list:
The Fool dates back to the dawn of recorded history. He's a particularly
valuable character to the satarist, firstly as an easy target for
ridicule, but more importantly, because he is subject to a curious
ambiguity of definition. He can range from a simpleton- the bumpkin of
lowbrow comedy- to the affably and companionably deceived fool whose
acceptance of illusion is a superior kind of wisdom, to the sage speaker
of profound truth, whose insights lurk beneath a disguise of insanity.
All of these types are characterised by relative social impotence-an
inability to interact with or significantly influence the "worldly
fools", or knaves who usually surround them. The knave is actually
another kind of fool- one whose manipulative or materialistic outlook is
folly from a spiritual point of view.
At the time of the early Renaissance, fools were a regular part of
popular culture. Deformed cripples, cretins, dwarves and "naturals"-
often born idiots with genuine mental deficiencies- were valued for
their supposed entertaining qualities. They were generally unpaid, and
indentured to courts or houses able to afford such diversions. The Fool
pops up throughout renaissance literature, becoming a staple in
theatrical performances. Mentally deficient people remained popular as
circus sideshow "freak" performers well into the twentieth century.
The great proto-humanist Erasmus, in his masterwork, " The Praise of
Folly" allows Folly, a sort of demi-godess to speak for herself. Her
arguments often take the form of paradoxes- critical reversals in the
nature of reality. "The mind of man," says Folly, "is far more taken
with disguises than with reality."
"...the more ways a man is deluded, the happier he is... the saddest
thing is not to be deceived...The state of fools is to be preferred.
First, their happiness costs least. It costs only a bit of illusion."
By Shakespeare's time, the convention had grown to include "licensed"
or "allowed" fools. Allowed fools were professional free agents, often
educated, usually paid and highly valued for their wit and wisdom. Their
behavior was not limited by social convention but "allowed" by their
master or employer. Shakespeare used the convention to great effect in
"King Lear", where Lear, ostensibly, gives the Fool license to speak,
and the two effectively trade places; Lear acting the fool and the Fool
occupying the "seat of reason". The Fool recognizes the folly of serving
a ruined monarch, but notes a special kind of wisdom in staying on to
help his friend: The worldly wisdom of abandoning Lear is morally
repugnant. Staying, in violation of self interest, involves a kind of
higher wisdom, or moral grandeur. Decisions made in the wisdom of
self-interest are often immoral, while moral behavior often involves
folly,danger, personal risk. The wise fool, or idiot-savant always comes
through for his friends.
Hope that didn't bore ya. Dead white male writers, morality, arcane
cultural artifacts
bla blabla yadayadayada ruckaruckarucka. ok, I'm done. Peace & Positive
Irations.
Michael
http://www.kundalini-gateway.org
http://www.domin8rex.com/serpent/spirit/kindex.htm
DISCLAIMER!
Home | Archive Index | Search the archives | Subscribe
K. List FAQ | Kundalini FAQs | Signs and Symptoms | Awakening Experiences | K. list Polls | Member Essays | Meditations | List Topics | Art Gallery | Cybrary | Sitemap | Email the moderators.
symbol.