The Fool and the Clown in Western Culture and Literature

Acknowledgement

Introduction

Brief Literature Review

Scope and Aim of this Book

Part I. Folly in History and Culture

1. The Fool The Meaning and Origin of the Fool

The Silly Fool

The Serendipitous Fool

The Wise Fool

The Jester

The Holy Fool

A Note on the Link between Creativity and Madness

2. The Clown

Definition and Origin of Clowns

Clowns in Modern Performances

The Circus Clown

The Happy Clown and the Sad Clown

The Evil Clown

The Buffoon

The Trickster or the Prankster

Collective Clowning

A Note on Humor and Comedic Performance

II. Folly in Literature and Drama

From Panurge to Felicite

The Grotesque and Absurd Fool

3. Shakespearean Fool

Communal Practices, Popular Entertainment, and Shakespeare's Jovial Players

From the Rustic Clown to the Wise Fool

Shakespeare's Ship of Fools and the Death of the Fool

4. Dostoevsky's Buffoons and Pranksters

Russian Folly and Dostoevsky

Humor and Satire in Dostoevsky's Works

Buffoons and Pranksters in The Possessed

5. Beckett's Pitiful Clowns

The Absurd Theatre Clown

Humor and Comedy in Beckett's Work

Vladimir and Estragon as a Consummate Pseudocouple

6. Fictional Fools from Shakespeare to Beckett

Conclusion: The Transcendent Role of the Fool and the Clown

Index