Praise of Folly

               This is an image from the essay written by Erasmus titled The Praise of Folly.  This is a marginal drawing in the first edition of the essay.  It was written in Latin in the year 1509 and was one of the key pieces of literature in the start of the reformation.  The story begins with Folly praising herself in a crowd of people claiming how she is the center of all, joy, relationships, love, and happiness in the world.    She then criticizes different professionals in the city such as doctors, lawyers, and eventually moves to the clerics, cardinals, and the Pope, and the story ends with a statement regarding Christians and their relationship with God.

                Although Erasmus was a devout Catholic, this essay was a harsh critique of the church.  The uses the allegory of Folly to show how the Roman Catholic Church abuses some of their powers.  When speaking of the Pope she claims that he is selfish and hoards his money.  Surprisingly, Pope Leo X found the essay very amusing.  I liked this piece because it allows us to see how authors in this time were expressing their views.  His use of satire made the literature interesting but still allowed for Erasmus to get his point across.