Praise of Folly

Desiderius Erasmus' story "The Praise of Folly" is a pointed satirical work that serves many purposes that the art of literature uniquely presents. The purpose of this essay is to examine the written work to explore several themes. This argument will describe and explain the author's use of criticism and satire by highlighting certain passages of the text that best demonstrate these tools. This essay will also compare Erasmus' use of satire with its use by today's social critics. Finally this essay will remark about this work as it is presented in its parent text book.

The Praise of Folly is divided into three different parts or sections that help seperate the author's criticisms. The story is narrated by Folly herself as she presents herself in front of a crowd of wearing an outlandish costume. Folly proclaims her many admirable traits and begins to rant on her...
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