Preface Summary and Analysis

The Preface to The Praise of Folly is a letter that the author, Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam, wrote to his friend, the English bishop, Thomas More. He opens by describing his ride from Italy to England and claims he thought of More often. He enjoyed More's company greatly. Because traveling was no time for seriousness, he decided to write The Praise of Folly for fun. He suggests he was inspired by More's family named, which is close to meaning folly. Further, More enjoys jokes and likes to dissent from mass opinion. The book was written as a keepsake for More and is dedicated to him. Erasmus anticipates criticism but cites many great figures in history who wrote satire and spoke of nonsense.

Erasmus argues that people recognize the value of comedy in other forms of life than studying, and so comedy...