Lois Helen Bulman PhD thesis - University of St Andrews

344 Pages·2012·22.89 MB·English

0<;02=@? <3 3<99C 6; 2;496?5 >2;.6??.;02 96@2>.@A>2
B6@5 =.>@60A9.> >232>2;02 @< ?5.82?=2.>2 .;1 7<;?<;
9QLT 5HNHP /VNODP
. @KHTLT ?VEOLUUHG IQS UKH 1HJSHH QI =K1
DU UKH
APLWHSTLUZ QI ?U .PGSHXT
%++%
3VNN OHUDGDUD IQS UKLT LUHO LT DWDLNDENH LP
>HTHDSFK-?U.PGSHXT,3VNN@HYU
DU,
KUUR,##SHTHDSFK!SHRQTLUQSZ"TU!DPGSHXT"DF"VM#
=NHDTH VTH UKLT LGHPULILHS UQ FLUH QS NLPM UQ UKLT LUHO,
KUUR,##KGN"KDPGNH"PHU#%$$&’#’(*)
@KLT LUHO LT RSQUHFUHG EZ QSLJLPDN FQRZSLJKU
CONCEPTS OF FOLLY IN ENGLISH RENAISSANCE LITERATURE
WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO SHAKESPEARE AND JONSON
BY
LOIS HELEN B1LM N
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY, DECEMBER 1990
submitted
UNIVERSITY OF ST. ANDREWS
UNI
jCA
'r-
o
DECLARATIONS
I, Lois Helen Bulman, hereby is
that this thesis,
certify which
100,000 in length, has been by that
approximately words written me,
it is the by that it has been
record of work carried out me and not
in for higher degree.
submitted any previous application a
W...
signature of candidate...
............
I Ordinance No. 12 in
was admitted as a research student under
October 1987, for the degree Doctor
and as a candidate of of
Philosophy in October 1988; the higher for this is
study which a
in the University St. Andrews between 1988
record was carried out of
1990.
and
7:
12: 7....
date.
signature of candidate.
...............
I hereby that the has fulfilled the
certify candidate conditions
the Resolution Regulations for the degree
of and appropriate of
Doctor Philosophy in the University St. Andrews that the
of of and
is to this thesis in for that
candidate qualified submit application
degree.
' ?: ý
date.
signature of supervisor...
..... ...... ...
COPYRIGHT
In this thesis to the University of St. Andrews I
submitting
understand that I am giving permission for it to be made available
for in the the University Library
use accordance with regulations of
in
for being in force. to the
the time subject any copyright vested
being thereby. I that the title
work not affected also understand
be
be that the
and abstract will published. and a copy of work may
bona fide library
made and supplied to any or research worker.
7: L?: I °.....
date.
signature of candidate...
............
ABSTRACT
Chapter 1 Barclay's Ship Fools in
considers of relation to other
folly literature in English, Lydgate's Order Fools,
particularly
of
Skelton's Bovge of Courte, and Cocke Lorrel's Bote. Motifs,
allegories and the woodcuts of the text are discussed and some are
included in Illustrations
an section.
Chapter 2 discusses Erasmian folly looking back
to the
Neoplatonic writings of Nicholas of Cusa, and to the debt Erasmian
to Origen. Erasmus'
exegeses owe own philosophical and theological
views are examined, particularly as they are found in his
Enchiridion, and in the influence of Thomas A Kempis' Imitation
of
Christ.
A textual the Moriae Encomium is
close analysis of
.
in this light.
undertaken
Chapter 3 defines the lateral boundaries folly, it
of where
blends into In the Renaissance
madness. context of psychology
sixteenth century medical works are analysed, including Boorde's
Breviary Nealthe, Barrough's Method Physicke Elyot's Castel
of of and
Helth. Blurring between the judgments
of madness and sin, negative
the demon-possessed, the biblical from
on mad as and models which
judgments largely
such arose give alternative perspectives on madness
its folly.
to
and relation
Chapters 4-6 look Shakespearean
three the
at comedies showing
development Erasmian folly. This from
of a primarily view of moves
overt references in Love's Labour's Lost to natural folly, the folly
love theological folly, folly
of and through carnivalesque aspects of
in Twelfth Night, folly
and madness to an embedded notion of which
influences
and affects the darker Measure for Measure.
comedy of
Chapter 7 Hall, Marston Guilpin,
considers satires of and and
looks Jonson's Humour in this Volpone
at plays context. and
Epicoene, The Alchemist Bartholomew Fair discussed in
and and are
Jonson's folly, his
the to
pairs, showing softening of attitude and
increasing Erasmian folly its full
representation of reaching
in Bartholomew Fair.
expression
Then I turned thoughts to
my
consider wisdom,
folly.
and also madness and
What the king's do
more can successor
than has been done?
what already
I that is better than folly,
saw wisdom
just light is better than darkness.
as
The has in his head,
wise man eyes
fool in darkness;
the the
while walks
but I to
came realise
fate both.
that the them
same overtakes
Then I thought In heart
y
"The fate of the fool will overtake me also.
"
What then do I gain by being wise?
I in heart
said my
"
"This is
too
meaningless.
For the like the fool,
wise man,
be long
remembered;
will not
in days both be forgotten.
to come will
die!
Like the fool, the wise an too must
)
(Ecclesiastes 2.12-16, N. I. V.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
List Illustrations
of
Acknowledgements
Introduction i
...... .. . 00 . ....... . ....... ...... ...... ..... ...... ....
PART ONE
CHAPTER ONE
BARCLAY'S SHIP OP FOOLS; TILE FOLLY TRADITION
1. The Narrenschiff the Ship Fools 1
and of
.......................
2. Late Medieval Folly Literature: Speculum Stultorum,
Order Fools the Bonge Courte 9
of and of
.......................
3. Motifs in the Ship Fools 16
and allegories of
..................
4. Tudor Satire: Cocke Lorrel's Bote 21
...........................
5. The Importance the Ship Fools to Erasmus'
of of
. loriae Encomium 26
.............................................
CHAPTER TWO
ERASMUS' NORI E%'CONIUX; THE HEIGHT OF FOLLY
30
1. Nicholas Cusa Origen
of and
.................................
36
2. The devotio
moderna
.........................................
39
3. Humanist
scholarship
........................................
44
4. The £nchiridion
.............................................
(i) 48
5. The Moriae Encomium
editions
............................
50
(ii)
structure
..........................
54
6. The Koriae Encomium (i) Part 1
analysis of
. ..................
(ii) Part II 61
analysis of
................
(iii) Part III 68
analysis of
..............
CHAPTER THREE
FOLLY AND MADNESS; THE BOUNDARIES OF FOLLY
1. The Renaissance 73
roots of psychology
............... ..
2. Madness in books: Breviary
sixteenth century medical of
Healthe, Methode Physicke Castel Helth........ 81
the
of and of
3. Madness disease demon-possession? 92
and sin: or
...............
4. Biblical links folly 99
madness: with
..........................
ILLUSTRATIONS (between 104 105)
pages and
............................
PART TWO
CHAPTER FOUR
LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST: ERASMIAN FOLLY
1. The folly love 105
of
..........................................
2. Natural folly in Navarre 112
...................................
3. Theological folly 129
..........................................
CHAPTER FIVE
TWELFTH NICHT; FOLLY AND MADNESS
1. Varieties folly 143
of
.........................................
2. Folly in Orsino Olivia 146
character: and
......................
3. The folly Malvolio 155
of sadness:
.............................
4. Educative folly festival folly 161
and
.........................
5. Platonic in Sebastian 168
madness
..............................
CHAPTER SIX
MEASURE FOR MEASURE; FOLLY AND THE LAW
1. Folly law 172
and natural
......................................
2. The folly Stoicism: Angelo 194
of
..............................
3. Theological folly the 203
and contemptus mundi
.................
4. Comic The Measure for Measure....... 207
Brace? conclusions of
PART THREE
CHAPTER SEVEN
FROM MADNESS TO FOLLY IN THE COMEDIES OF DEN JONSON
1. Elizabethan Verse Satire: Satires; Letting Humour's Blood;
of
I'irgidemiae 216
and
............................................
2. The Madness folly in Jonson's Humour Plays 227
of
..............
3. Volpone Epicoene: incurable fools the
and and purging of
folly 238
......................................................
4. The Alchemist Bartholomew Fair: Erasmian folly?........ 249
and
Conclusions 263
....................................................
Bibliography 273
...................................................