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The Praise of Folly Study Guide

by Desiderius Erasmus

The Praise of Folly study guide contains a biography of Desiderius Erasmus, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

The Praise of Folly is a short work, commonly understood to be divided into three different sections (although there are no official demarcations). It is narrated by Folly herself; she stands before a crowd of listeners wearing the costume of a fool and announces her intention that she plans to extol her own virtues and merits. She is accompanied by a number of her attendants, including Philautia (Self-Love), Kolakia (Flattery), Lethe (Forgetfulness), and Anoia (Imbecility), among others. In her introduction she wonders at the fact that no one has sought to build a monument or compose an encomium for her, despite her ubiquity and her ability to bring universal pleasure. In fact, her stated intention is to articulate how she can be said to…

Read the full The Praise of Folly Summary

• The Praise of Folly Summary
• About The Praise of Folly
• Character List
• Glossary of Terms
• Major Themes
• Quotes and Analysis
• Summary and Analysis of Author’s Preface
• Summary and Analysis of Start of Praise of Folly (6) - "But why do I talk only of mortal men?" (15)
• Summary and Analysis of “But why do I talk only of mortal men?” (16) – “But let me go on to a topic on which I barely started:” (26)
• Summary and Analysis of “But let me go back on a topic on which I barely started:” (26) – “But I think I hear the philosophers raising objections.” (32)
• Summary and Analysis of “But I think I hear the philosophers raising objections.” (32) – “Here’s another lot of men who definitely belong to my sect…” (41)
• Summary and Analysis of “Here’s another lot of men who definitely belong to my sect…” (41) – “Perhaps I ought to pass over the theologians in silence…” (57)
• Summary and Analysis of “Perhaps I ought to pass over the theologians in silence…” (57) – “You see now, I guess, how much men of the cloth owe to me…” (66)
• Summary and Analysis of “You see now, I guess, how much men of the cloth owe to me…” (66) – “But why should I exercise myself so much over a single example…” (78)
• Summary and Analysis of “But why should I exercise myself so much over a single example…” (79) – End of Praise of Folly (87)
• Martin Luther
• Related Links on The Praise of Folly
• Suggested Essay Questions
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 1
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 2
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 3
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 4
• Author of ClassicNote and Sources

• The Praise of Folly: Major Themes
• The Praise of Folly: Essays
• The Praise of Folly: E-Text
• The Praise of Folly: Questions
• The Praise of Folly: Purchase the Novel and Related Material
• Desiderius Erasmus: Biography