1st Edition
The Fool and the Clown in Western Culture and Literature Homo Insipiens
Acknowledgement
Introduction
Brief Literature Review
Scope and Aim of this Book
Part I. Folly in History and Culture
1. The Fool The Meaning and Origin of the Fool
The Silly Fool
The Serendipitous Fool
The Wise Fool
The Jester
The Holy Fool
A Note on the Link between Creativity and Madness
2. The Clown
Definition and Origin of Clowns
Clowns in Modern Performances
The Circus Clown
The Happy Clown and the Sad Clown
The Evil Clown
The Buffoon
The Trickster or the Prankster
Collective Clowning
A Note on Humor and Comedic Performance
II. Folly in Literature and Drama
From Panurge to Félicité
The Grotesque and Absurd Fool
3. Shakespearean Fool
Communal Practices, Popular Entertainment, and Shakespeare’s Jovial Players
From the Rustic Clown to the Wise Fool
Shakespeare’s Ship of Fools and the Death of the Fool
4. Dostoevsky’s Buffoons and Pranksters
Russian Folly and Dostoevsky
Humor and Satire in Dostoevsky’s Works
Buffoons and Pranksters in The Possessed
5. Beckett’s Pitiful Clowns
The Absurd Theatre Clown
Humor and Comedy in Beckett’s Work
Vladimir and Estragon as a Consummate Pseudocouple
6. Fictional Fools from Shakespeare to Beckett
Conclusion: The Transcendent Role of the Fool and the Clown
Index
Biography
Svetozar Poštić is Associate Professor of Philology at Vilnius University in Lithuania. He is the author of books about Bakhtin, Montaigne, American culture, and the Russian Revolution in Serbian, as well as Seven Russian Archetypes: Recurring Types in Russian History and Culture (Wipf and Stock, 2023).
"Let me begin by saying what an engaging and pleasant read this has been: The author is in solid command of a wide range of diverse and interesting (and fun) examples and does a great job of steering his readers through them."
Nicola Behrmann Associate Professor, Rutgers University
"The book covers a broad range of materials in sufficient depth to be meaningful but without getting bogged down on any one topic. The pace and range of references, both historical and contemporary, including popular culture, make it engaging to read."
Béatrice Otto, Author, Fools are Everywhere: The Court Jester Around the World
