The Fool: His Social And Literary History

420 Pages·1961·55.766 MB·English

by  Enid Welsford

THE FOOL
HiSso cial
anLdi terHairsyt ory
by
ENIDW ELSFORD
FARRA&R RINEHART
INCORPORATED
OnM u"Haiyl lN ewY ork
MADEA NDP RINTEIDNG REABTR ITAIN
Dedicatteod
MY MOTHER

Contents
*
CBAPTB:R PAGB
INTRODUCTION
PART I. THE LAUGHTER-MAKING PARASITE
OR BUFFOON
I. THE PROFESSIONAL BUFFOON 3
II. THE MYTHICAL BUFFOON 29
PART II. THE COURT-FOOL IN REALITY
III. ORIGINS: THE FOOL AS MASCOT AND SCAPEGOAT 55
IV,t'ORIGTIHEN FSOO:L AS POET AND CLAIRVOYANT 76
V. THE MEDIEVAL COURT-FOOL 113
VI. THE COURT-FOOL OP THE RENAISSANCE 128
VII. THE COURT-FOOL IN ENGLAND 158
VIII. THE DECLINE OF THE COURT-FOOL 182
PART III. THE COURT-FOOL IN THE IMAGINATION
IX. THE LORD OF MISRULE 197
xi
THE COURT-FOOL IN LITERATURE 218
XI/THE COURT-FOOL IN ELIZABETHAN DRAMA 243
[vii]
Contents
CBAPTBll PAGB
PART IV. THE STAGE-CLOWN
XII. THE THEATRICAL POOL: HERACLES TO PICKLE
HERRING 273
XIII. HARLEQUIN 287
XIV. THE HARLEQUIN ADE: PUNCH, PIERROT, CLOWN
AND HIS SUCCESSORS 300
XV. CONCLUSION
314
NOTES
325
LIST OP PRINCIPAL WORKS CONSULTED 349
IKDEX 357
[viii 1
Illustrations
*
RICHATRADR LTON frontispiece
TILELU LBNSPIEGEL to face page 3 S
MARCOALNPD H IWSI PIEN T HEP RESEONPCK EI NG
SOLOMON 3S
EULENSPDIIESGCEOLM FBIYTH EIDNS E IGHBOURS4 6
BULENSPHIAESGH EILRS E VENGE 46
BULENSPIPELGAECLEH ISS H OSTEOSNS B URNING
ASHES 48
EULENSPPIREOGDEULC AE LSI TURGPILCAAYL 48
THEE GYPTIGAONDB EASS W ARRIAONRD,G RAECO-
ROMAGNR OTESQUES 65
MEDIEVFAOLO LASN DE NTERTAINERS 119
A COURT-FTOIOCLK LAE MSA NW ITHHI BSA UBLE 122
FOOLLE DA WAYB YD EATIHNC APA NDB ELLS 129
CLAUNSA RRS TRANGHLIESSG OSLINTGOS S AVE
THEMF RODMR OWNING 144
A POOALT A SUPPPEARR TY 144
HENRVYI IAIN DH IPSA MYI L 16o
THEP AMYI OLP S ITRH OMAMSO RE 165
ARCHETHEE K INGJ'ESS TER 172
KUNZVO ND ERR OSEN 172
[ix]
Illustrations
tfoa pcaeg e
DER NARRBNFRESSER 177
FOOLS TAKING PART IN A CARNIVAL SCENE 199
L'HIVER. LBS DIVERTISSBMENTS DU ROY-BOIT 202
FiVRIER, MASCARADB 202
ITALIAN DESIGNS FOR FOOL-COSTUMES 210
ARMINIAENS KAPPROEN 223
CHOREA MUNDI 225
ENGLISCHER PICKELHARING 240
DER KURTZWEILLIGE HANSWURST AUS ENGELLAND
JOHANN GUTTWEN 240
COMEDIENS ITALIENS 244
HARLEQUIN JALOUX 253
GRIMALDI AND OTHERS IN VARIOUS CHARACTERS IN
'MOTHER GOOSE' AND OTHER PANTOMIMES 256
GRIMALDI'S PROGRESS TO DEATH 273
PULCINELLA-TYPES IMAGINED BY TIEPOLI 276
MAZURIER IN THE CHARACTER OF PULCINELLA : THE
LIVING ACTOR IMITATES THE WOODEN PUPPET 285
' ,
ELLES SONT SI JOLIES, LES CARTES... 292
'PIERROT s' AMUSE' 301
THE DOUBLE HARLEQUINADE AT DRURY LANE,
26
DEC. I 891 304
MR GRAMMIANI AS CLOWN, MR ASBURY AS PANTA-
LOON 308
DAN LENO 310
GROCK JIO
CHARLIE CHAPLIN IN 'THE GOLD RUSH' 315
!
• ENFIN ! VO ILA LE CHOLfRA ! DANSEZ CROQUEMORTS
DANSEZ PIERROTS!' 321
[ X ]
Introduction
*
T
hosweh oi nt hpeas hta vweri tttheehin s toorfFy o ols
havuseu alfletylh taa w to rodfa polwoagnsye eded;
'Numesrust ulestotir nu6mn' ani,dtus w hsodo ese rving
ofth eti tolfae r chas- thfeop oeld wahnotl aborrieocusolryd s
thep asfto lolfIJ1i aeso kiNoedv?e rththeelrisesea str adition
thatth cea anpd b elslosm eticmoevaserh eandoa tl together
devoofic do mmsoenns aen,Idw oupllde tahdta htfe o lolfy
writinagb ofuotoi lmsso raep partheannrt e aFlow.rh at-at
leastas definfeothdre p urpoofts hesi tsu dayF -oiosHl e?
isa m anw hof ablellsto hwae v erhaugmesan t anbdaurwtdh ,o se
defheacvbtsee etnr ansfoirnamts eood u orfdc eel iamg ain­ht,
sprinogf c omewdhyi,hc ashal waybse eonn oef t hger eat
recreoafmti aonnksani dnp darti culoafcr ilvilizeyd m ankind.
The natoufrt ehistran sformaotiffo onli lnyth oa ppiisn ess
act
surweolrthyyo fscr utiny.D oesc omedoyn th es piritual
sysasta ev mi tamionras a n arcoDtioesc th?een joymoenfit t
invodleveeip nesri kgehetcn,re ir tiocrdi eslmi beevrasaitoen
ofr ealitIsy u?g gteshwtae ts hoguotl otd h Feo foolanr an swer
toth esen ounimtp ortant questionsj,us ast w ee xamthien e
tragich ertooe nlaoruungrde e rstandnion_tgo nolftry a gedy,
buetv eonft huel timmyastteoe frh iuesm lifane .
Bohte irmeta yw elbleo bjetchtthaeetdp arailasfl alsee l
onThee.tr aghiecri iosn sepafrroamhb iltrsea gedyit-shh ee
central ea bowuhto mt hset oirtsyo landd,w hetnh e
l�
curtain £ hev aniosnhcmeseo rien tthone o theisonsuo tf
gn
whihcewh as s ummobnyhe idcs r eaHtemo ary.i ndheaevde
[xi]
Introduction
hada p re-naetxials teinnthc ee t omobf a g remaant whose
memoreyv okperda iansde l amentatioorni ;nth e anxious
imagination ofa c ommuniwthyo d esirae gdo dt or ulthee
circslienasgo bnusht;e w as borna tragic hero ouotf t hmei nd
oft hien dividpuoaewlth ofi rscto nceihviceshd a raancdt er
markedo utth e limiotsfhis existenWcie.t hth e Fooilti s
otherwTihesF eo.oo lrC lowni thse C omiMcan ,b uhte i nso t
necesstahhrieel ryoo fc omedthyec, e ntfirgaulra eb owuhto m
thes toisrt yo lndo,ir hs e a m ercer eaotfut rhpeeo etiicm agina­
tionw homth efi nadlr op-curtain consitoo blivOinot nh.e
gns
contr heis moroef ttehnan n ota reaanld verryo bust
ary
personaamlaistsyai,f n ogrtun eb ya l ifetismuec'cses esxfeurl­
ciosfehi sa rtA.sa d ramactihca rahceut seura sltlanydsa part
fromt hmea ianc tioonft hpel ahya,vi nagt endennocttyof ocus
butto d isseovlevneant ds a,l stooa catsi ntermebdeitween
ary
thes taangde th ea uditorAisanu mhis.t orificgaulrh eed oes
notc onfihnieas c tivittiotes h teh eabtruetm akese very-day
lifec omiactth em omentan d onth es poTth.eF ooiln,f act,
isa nam phibieaqnu aaltlh yo mei nt hweo rlodfr ealanidt y
thew orlodfi m inatioannd, i ti st his striking difference
ag
.b etwehime nan d thtrea gihcer woh icshu ggeans atsd ditional
reasonf otrh set uodfyh ipse culiarities.
Whati thse n atuorfte h ree latiobnsehtiwpea ecnt uaanldi ty
dar;
artI?ti sah oarpyr oblbeumot,n et hahtan se vbeeenr more
urgendtelbya ttheanda tth ep resent and thouIgw ho uld
notc laithma tt hhei stoofrt yh Feo op roviusd wietsh th e
solutiIoh no,p teo s hothwa ti tp rovivdaesl uadbaltteah at
shounlodbt e o verloboykt ehdoi snet erients htdeei ds cussion.
Thea rrangemoeftn hist b oohkas t herebfeoenrp el anned
witahv ietwo t hasekin g,i fn otto th ean swerionfcg e,r tain
questioWnsh.a ta rteh actuale facasts t ot hhies toroirciagli n
and roloeft hFeo oasl c omienct ertaiHnoewfr ?ard ot hese
factsh elupst oun derstcaonmde dWyh?a lti gdhotht e yt hrow
onth er elatiobnsheitpw eleifnane d artan d then atuorfte h e
soccioanld itimoonsfastv ouratbotl hece r eaitimvaeg ination?
PartI
Ib egiinn witha consideorfat tihoPenar asitoer
Buffoothne,t ypoeff oowlh odiff ers leasfrto mt hneo rmal
[xii]