The Feminine Irony of God
A Deconstructive Reading of Erasmusâ The Praise of Folly
äºErasmus StudiesSearch for other papers by Ludovico Battista in
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Abstract
It is not by chance that one of the most radical and enigmatic speeches in Erasmusâ productionâthe Encomium Moriaeâwas pronounced by a female character: Folly. This paper aims at interrogating Erasmusâ text not simply as the result of a carnivalesque spirit of suspension and derision of traditional order, or as a literary imitation of ancient satire, but as the expression of an original type of speech, serious from a religious point of view, that proposes itself as the alternative of the âmaleâ theological-philosophical logos, which it mocks. The Pauline and apocalyptic logic of the catastrophic inversion of the worldâs values is reinterpreted by Erasmus in an Origenian lens as the revelation of the immense yet âfoolishâ divine mercy that forgives everyone. Follyâs speech thus both condemns and forgives the foolishness of human sin. This paper will highlight both the corrosive and secularising potential of Erasmusâ scepticism, which harshly deconstructs the dogmatic naivety of human beliefs and attitudes, conceived as sin and therefore as foolishness; and Follyâs ironic exaltation of the worldâs foolishness as redeemed by the maternal, âfeminineâ and universal embrace of Godâs forgiveness.
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| å ¨é¨æé´ | è¿å»ä¸å¹´ | è¿å»30天 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| æè¦æµè§æ¬¡æ° | 536 | 203 | 13 |
| å ¨ææµè§æ¬¡æ° | 61 | 11 | 0 |
| PDFä¸è½½æ¬¡æ° | 142 | 29 | 0 |
The Feminine Irony of God
A Deconstructive Reading of Erasmusâ The Praise of Folly
äºErasmus StudiesSearch for other papers by Ludovico Battista in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
It is not by chance that one of the most radical and enigmatic speeches in Erasmusâ productionâthe Encomium Moriaeâwas pronounced by a female character: Folly. This paper aims at interrogating Erasmusâ text not simply as the result of a carnivalesque spirit of suspension and derision of traditional order, or as a literary imitation of ancient satire, but as the expression of an original type of speech, serious from a religious point of view, that proposes itself as the alternative of the âmaleâ theological-philosophical logos, which it mocks. The Pauline and apocalyptic logic of the catastrophic inversion of the worldâs values is reinterpreted by Erasmus in an Origenian lens as the revelation of the immense yet âfoolishâ divine mercy that forgives everyone. Follyâs speech thus both condemns and forgives the foolishness of human sin. This paper will highlight both the corrosive and secularising potential of Erasmusâ scepticism, which harshly deconstructs the dogmatic naivety of human beliefs and attitudes, conceived as sin and therefore as foolishness; and Follyâs ironic exaltation of the worldâs foolishness as redeemed by the maternal, âfeminineâ and universal embrace of Godâs forgiveness.
| å ¨é¨æé´ | è¿å»ä¸å¹´ | è¿å»30天 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| æè¦æµè§æ¬¡æ° | 536 | 203 | 13 |
| å ¨ææµè§æ¬¡æ° | 61 | 11 | 0 |
| PDFä¸è½½æ¬¡æ° | 142 | 29 | 0 |
