Persistence of Folly: On the Origins of German Dramatic Literature
Joel B. Lande’s Persistence of Folly challenges the accepted account of the origins of German theater by focusing on the misunderstood figure of the fool, whose spontaneous and impish jest captivated audiences, critics, and playwrights from the late sixteenth through the early nineteenth century. Lande radically expands the scope of literary historical inquiry, showing that the fool was not a distraction from attempts to establish a serious dramatic tradition in the German language. Instead, the fool was both a fixture on the stage and a nearly ubiquitous theme in an array of literary critical, governmental, moral-philosophical, and medical discourses, figuring centrally in broad-based efforts to assign laughter a proper time, place, and proportion in society.
Persistence of Folly reveals the fool as a cornerstone of the dynamic process that culminated in the works of Lessing, Goethe, and Kleist. By reorienting the history of German theater, Lande’s work conclusively shows that the highpoint of German literature around 1800 did not eliminate irreverent jest in the name of serious drama, but instead developed highly refined techniques for integrating the comic tradition of the stage fool.
"1128526672"
Persistence of Folly: On the Origins of German Dramatic Literature
Joel B. Lande’s Persistence of Folly challenges the accepted account of the origins of German theater by focusing on the misunderstood figure of the fool, whose spontaneous and impish jest captivated audiences, critics, and playwrights from the late sixteenth through the early nineteenth century. Lande radically expands the scope of literary historical inquiry, showing that the fool was not a distraction from attempts to establish a serious dramatic tradition in the German language. Instead, the fool was both a fixture on the stage and a nearly ubiquitous theme in an array of literary critical, governmental, moral-philosophical, and medical discourses, figuring centrally in broad-based efforts to assign laughter a proper time, place, and proportion in society.
Persistence of Folly reveals the fool as a cornerstone of the dynamic process that culminated in the works of Lessing, Goethe, and Kleist. By reorienting the history of German theater, Lande’s work conclusively shows that the highpoint of German literature around 1800 did not eliminate irreverent jest in the name of serious drama, but instead developed highly refined techniques for integrating the comic tradition of the stage fool.
31.95
In Stock
51
Persistence of Folly: On the Origins of German Dramatic Literature
Joel B. Lande’s Persistence of Folly challenges the accepted account of the origins of German theater by focusing on the misunderstood figure of the fool, whose spontaneous and impish jest captivated audiences, critics, and playwrights from the late sixteenth through the early nineteenth century. Lande radically expands the scope of literary historical inquiry, showing that the fool was not a distraction from attempts to establish a serious dramatic tradition in the German language. Instead, the fool was both a fixture on the stage and a nearly ubiquitous theme in an array of literary critical, governmental, moral-philosophical, and medical discourses, figuring centrally in broad-based efforts to assign laughter a proper time, place, and proportion in society.
Persistence of Folly reveals the fool as a cornerstone of the dynamic process that culminated in the works of Lessing, Goethe, and Kleist. By reorienting the history of German theater, Lande’s work conclusively shows that the highpoint of German literature around 1800 did not eliminate irreverent jest in the name of serious drama, but instead developed highly refined techniques for integrating the comic tradition of the stage fool.
Joel Lande is an Assistant Professor in the Department of German at Princeton University.
Table of Contents
AcknowledgmentsIntroductionPart I The Fool at Play: Comic Practice and the Strolling Players1. Birth of a Comic Form2. Strolling Players and the Advent of the Fool3. Practice of Stage Interaction4. The Fool's Space and TimePart II Fabricating Comedy and the Fate of the Foolin the Age of Reform5. Making Comedy Whole6. Biases in Precedent7. Sanitation and Unity8. Comedic Plot, Comic Time, Dramatic TimePart III Life, Theater, and the Restoration of the Fool9. Policey and the Legitimacy of Delight10. The Place of Laughter in Life11. National Literature I: Improvement12. National Literature II: CustomPart IV The Vitality of Folly in Goethe's Faustand Kleist's Jug13. Faust I: Setting the Stage14. Faust II: Mirroring and Framing in the Form of Faust15. Faust III: The Diabolical Comic16. Antinomies of the Classical: On Kleist's Broken JugPostludeBibliographyIndex
The quality of the work is high, the topic is well chosen, the writing is very good, the research is superb. The book does an excellent job of fleshing out the historical development of German drama, the meaning of the fool, and our understanding of two canonical works by Goethe and Kleist.
Daniel Purdy
Persistence of Folly has a clear and entertaining line of argumentation, the reader will have no trouble enjoying its sophisticated analysis. This is an excellent book.
Mark Roche
Persistence of Folly advances an original claim about the origins of the German dramatic tradition. Scholarship in this area has been scant in recent years, and in focusing on the figure of the fool, Lande has chosen a compelling point of entry for an important new account. The research is superb.
