Fools Are Everywhere: The Court Jester Around the World

Beautifully written with a refreshing lightness. Opens up a whole world.

This book is truly exceptional! It showcases all the classic attributes that a fool/jester should have. Vulnerability,levity,morality and more. It also (and this may be surprising to some) shows the jester as being synonomous with death. However we soon learn that it was rare that the jester lost his head if he didn't appeal to the king. In fact if he did rub the court/king/queen up the wrong way he invariably got out of it with another witticism. Also surprisingly an Indian jester was known to get an astrologers head cut off.Then there is the plethora of Chinese jesters who's assumed monikers are rib tickling in themselves...e.g moving bucket,upright fellow wish to name but a few. Then there is the fool/king interchangability which again doesn't necessarily match the stereotype.