Sacred Folly : A New History of the Feast of Fools /
Harris, Max R.
Sacred Folly : A New History of the Feast of Fools / Max R. Harris. - 1 online resource (336 p.) : 1 map
Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- Prologue: A Letter from Paris -- Part I. Prologue: A Letter from Paris -- Part II. Shaping the Feast of Fools -- Part III. Supporting the Feast of Fools -- Part IV. Suppressing the Feast of Fools -- Epilogue: Orange Peel in Antibes -- Bibliography -- Index
restricted access http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_16ec
For centuries, the Feast of Fools has been condemned and occasionally celebrated as a disorderly, even transgressive Christian festival, in which reveling clergy elected a burlesque Lord of Misrule, presided over the divine office wearing animal masks or women's clothes, sang obscene songs, swung censers that gave off foul-smelling smoke, played dice at the altar, and otherwise parodied the liturgy of the church. Afterward, they would take to the streets, howling, issuing mock indulgences, hurling manure at bystanders, and staging scurrilous plays. The problem with this popular account—intriguing as it may be— is that it is wrong.In Sacred Folly, Max Harris rewrites the history of the Feast of Fools, showing that it developed in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries as an elaborate and orderly liturgy for the day of the Circumcision (1 January)—serving as a dignified alternative to rowdy secular New Year festivities. The intent of the feast was not mockery but thanksgiving for the incarnation of Christ. Prescribed role reversals, in which the lower clergy presided over divine office, recalled Mary's joyous affirmation that God "has put down the mighty from their seat and exalted the humble." The "fools" represented those chosen by God for their lowly status.The feast, never widespread, was largely confined to cathedrals and collegiate churches in northern France. In the fifteenth century, high-ranking clergy who relied on rumor rather than firsthand knowledge attacked and eventually suppressed the feast. Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century historians repeatedly misread records of the feast; their erroneous accounts formed a shaky foundation for subsequent understanding of the medieval ritual. By returning to the primary documents, Harris reconstructs a Feast of Fools that is all the more remarkable for being sanctified rather than sacrilegious.
Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
In English.
9780801461613
10.7591/9780801461613 doi
Feast of Fools--History.
Medieval & Renaissance Studies.
Religious Studies.
HISTORY / Medieval.
christian criticism, historical criticism, christian festival, history rewritten, historical inaccuracies, day of the circumcision, history of new years, new years, christianity.
GT4995.F6 / H37 2016
394.2509
Sacred Folly : A New History of the Feast of Fools / Max R. Harris. - 1 online resource (336 p.) : 1 map
Frontmatter -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- Prologue: A Letter from Paris -- Part I. Prologue: A Letter from Paris -- Part II. Shaping the Feast of Fools -- Part III. Supporting the Feast of Fools -- Part IV. Suppressing the Feast of Fools -- Epilogue: Orange Peel in Antibes -- Bibliography -- Index
restricted access http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_16ec
For centuries, the Feast of Fools has been condemned and occasionally celebrated as a disorderly, even transgressive Christian festival, in which reveling clergy elected a burlesque Lord of Misrule, presided over the divine office wearing animal masks or women's clothes, sang obscene songs, swung censers that gave off foul-smelling smoke, played dice at the altar, and otherwise parodied the liturgy of the church. Afterward, they would take to the streets, howling, issuing mock indulgences, hurling manure at bystanders, and staging scurrilous plays. The problem with this popular account—intriguing as it may be— is that it is wrong.In Sacred Folly, Max Harris rewrites the history of the Feast of Fools, showing that it developed in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries as an elaborate and orderly liturgy for the day of the Circumcision (1 January)—serving as a dignified alternative to rowdy secular New Year festivities. The intent of the feast was not mockery but thanksgiving for the incarnation of Christ. Prescribed role reversals, in which the lower clergy presided over divine office, recalled Mary's joyous affirmation that God "has put down the mighty from their seat and exalted the humble." The "fools" represented those chosen by God for their lowly status.The feast, never widespread, was largely confined to cathedrals and collegiate churches in northern France. In the fifteenth century, high-ranking clergy who relied on rumor rather than firsthand knowledge attacked and eventually suppressed the feast. Eighteenth- and nineteenth-century historians repeatedly misread records of the feast; their erroneous accounts formed a shaky foundation for subsequent understanding of the medieval ritual. By returning to the primary documents, Harris reconstructs a Feast of Fools that is all the more remarkable for being sanctified rather than sacrilegious.
Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.
In English.
9780801461613
10.7591/9780801461613 doi
Feast of Fools--History.
Medieval & Renaissance Studies.
Religious Studies.
HISTORY / Medieval.
christian criticism, historical criticism, christian festival, history rewritten, historical inaccuracies, day of the circumcision, history of new years, new years, christianity.
GT4995.F6 / H37 2016
394.2509