1 Praise of Folly The Praise of Folly takes on a very diverse form of life during sixteenth century Europe. In 1509 the author, Desiderius Erasmus, turned his literary talents to the ridicule and denunciation of monastic vice, immorality, and wickedness. He was considered the "Prince of Humanists" [1] because he was one of the most important men in Europe during the period of the Reformation, The historical and cultural references in his book proves that the Praise …showed first 75 words of 1438 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1438 total…Folly scourges the abuses and follies of the various classes of society, especially the church. It is a cold-blooded, deliberate attempt to discredit the church, and its satire and stinging comment on ecclesiastical conditions are not intended as a healing medicine but a deadly poison. As one can see, numerous connections prove that the Praise of Folly by Desiderius Erasmus, could not have been written at a different time period other than sixteenth century Europe.