Fools are Everywhere
Sep. 9th, 2007 01:02 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shewhomustIn yesterday's Guardian Review, Simon Callow reviews Fools Are Everywhere: The Court Jester Around the World, by Beatrice K. Otto.
I expect![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
desperance already knew this, but it seems that the court jester is yet another of the many things the Chinese did first; they are recorded as early as the fourth century, and their names and witticisms are recorded. Simon Callow is not impressed by their jokes, but the names are wonderful: Jester-Twisty-Pole, Moving Bucket, Openly-Flawless-Jade. The emperor Zhenzong's favourite was Newly-Polished-Mirror, who was succeeded, sublimely, by Going-Round-in-Circles.
Incidentally 1): The review in the paper is illustrated by a photograph which does not appear on the Guardian's web site; instead the latter is illustrated by a picture of the book's cover. Since this is accompanied by a link inviting reader's to buy the book from the Guardian's web site, it might have been tactful to edit out the arrow on the top right, which rather gives away that the image has been copied from Amazon.
Incidentally 2)desperance, if you're reading this, you might like to know that the same issue carries a favourable review of Sean O' Brien's The Drowned Book.
I expect
desperance already knew this, but it seems that the court jester is yet another of the many things the Chinese did first; they are recorded as early as the fourth century, and their names and witticisms are recorded. Simon Callow is not impressed by their jokes, but the names are wonderful: Jester-Twisty-Pole, Moving Bucket, Openly-Flawless-Jade. The emperor Zhenzong's favourite was Newly-Polished-Mirror, who was succeeded, sublimely, by Going-Round-in-Circles.Incidentally 1): The review in the paper is illustrated by a photograph which does not appear on the Guardian's web site; instead the latter is illustrated by a picture of the book's cover. Since this is accompanied by a link inviting reader's to buy the book from the Guardian's web site, it might have been tactful to edit out the arrow on the top right, which rather gives away that the image has been copied from Amazon.
Incidentally 2)
desperance, if you're reading this, you might like to know that the same issue carries a favourable review of Sean O' Brien's The Drowned Book.
