Ship of Fools, The

The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature | 2003 | 650 words | Copyright

Ship of Fools, The, an adaptation of the famous Narrenschiff of Sebastian Brant. The Narrenschiff was written in the dialect of Swabia and first published in 1494. It became extremely popular and was translated into many languages. Its theme is the shipping off of fools of all kinds from their native land to the Land of Fools.

It was translated into English ‘out of Laten, Frenche, and Doche’ by A. Barclay, and published in England in 1509; the translation is not literal but is an adaptation to English conditions, and gives a picture of contemporary English life. The work is interesting as an early collection of satirical types.

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MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Ship of Fools, The." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Ship of Fools, The." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-ShipofFoolsThe.html

MARGARET DRABBLE and JENNY STRINGER. "Ship of Fools, The." The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature. 2003. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O54-ShipofFoolsThe.html

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