Ship of Fools (satire)

The Ship of Fools (alternatively: That Narrenschyff ad Narragoniam ) of Sebastian Brant ( 1457-1521 ), printed in 1494 by Johann Bergmann from Olpe in Basel, the most successful German -language book before the Reformation was. It is a late medieval morality satire, which outlines a typology of over 100 fools on a ship headed tions Narragonia and so the world turned upside critical holds up through a fun portrayal of their vices the mirror. The work was translated into Latin in 1497 and distributed by further translations in various languages ​​across Europe.

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The book is divided into a vorred and 112 chapters that describe in most cases, each a typical human error or vice, and present as an outgrowth of foolish foolishness, such as greed, clothes fashions, gossip or adultery, even before the Turks and the the near end of the world is warned; Reigning get good advice and a new saint named St. boor occurs as a flail. The final chapter presents this dance of fools from the wise as the ideal reasonable living opposite and sounds of the final rhyme with the name of the author, nor followed by a rhyming Explicit and an added in later editions protestation that complained about unauthorized plagiarism and extensions.

Is the fool continuous theme, so immersed Ship of Fools as a frame- formative motif only a few times; for the author invents new compound words, such as dancing fools and fools mirror that should probably common title of religious writings, such as Totentanz and Bußspiegel parody. Moreover, the Narrenbrei is stirred or membership described in fools Order. Brant leaves out no area of life and knowledge, which is not a category of folly could be assigned:

" Yes Wuerttem all gschrifft VND ler scorn / The gantz world lives in gloomy night / Vnd DUT in sins remain Blint / All roads / alleys / Sindt complete fool. " - " Yes, all Scripture and doctrine is despised; [ then ] the whole world lives in the dark of night; And does persist in sin blind; All streets, alleys are full of fools. "

The path to wisdom leads, so Roth cone ( 1988), for Brant not have the " immature piety " but about his Fründ Vergilium, ie human reason. Brant captured " the problem of human behavior " based on the biblical Psalms and wisdom literature and ancient philosophy: " Brant's ideal is the manner of the Stoics ." In Narrenschyff the reading in chapter Wyss one ( " The wise man " ) as follows:

"He speaks eight nit what the needle / Or the gemeynen volcks Geschrey / He is rotund / quite like a ey. " - " He does not pay attention to what saith the needle / the nobles; Or on the common / ordinary people cry; He is round; much like an egg ( probably better understood as a transfer: as smooth as an egg, so that everything slides off him) "

On the Reception

The Narrenschyff was immediately praised by his contemporaries in the skies, in particular of the early humanists of the Upper Rhine, with which Brant will have been known. He probably planned, even to translate his work into Latin, but this task was then his pupil Jacob Locher, whose work was published on June 1, 1497 under the title Stultifera Navis in Strasbourg, printed by Johann Green Ingersoll. This issue quickly spread beyond the country's borders and made Brant's work to an international success. The translation punch is not a literal, but rather a Latin paraphrase, which ( as the result of a text comparison of Rupp, 2002) have supported the expectations of the Latin knowledgeable audience and its classical educational background into account.

A Middle Low German edition was in 1497 under the title Dat fool schyp by Hans van Ghetelen printed in Lübeck.

The Strasbourg preacher Johann Geiler von Kaysersberg was Brants parodies not without reservations about; Although he also lashed out grievances and moral decline, but built it to education, humor and popularity. In 1498 he began with the design of sermons on the Ship of Fools, in which he processed the current satire critically.

As Geiler died in 1510, his student Jakob Otter left the sermon cycle after notes and transcripts Print by Matthias Schurer in Strasbourg; they appeared under the title Navicula sive Speculorum Fatuorum in January 1511th

Thomas Murner, Franciscan, writer, and a student of Jakob Locher, brought in 1512 two satirical writings out, to which he had been inspired by Brants Narrenschyff and Geiler's sermons fools: the Schelmenzunfft and Doctor Murner Narrenbeschwerung. Appeared in 1519 in Rostock, printed by Ludwig Dietz, a Low German edition of Narrenschyff entitled Dat Nye SCHIP by Narragonia.

During the 16th century, the fools figures Brant enjoyed great popularity, however they were no longer welcome by the ecclesiastical institutions; were printed in a small format that was also cheaper and the sales secured. In March 1572 appeared in Basel, from the dispensary by Sebastian Henric Peter, an edition of Locher's Latin translation: Stultifera Navis Mortualium, one with small engravings richly illustrated octave.

Among the illustrations

The success of the Ship of Fools and its secondary publications helped not least in the attractive and lively illustrations. For Bergmann of Olpes pressure in 1494 made ​​the master of Bergmann's Offizin, possibly identical to Albrecht Dürer, who was on his wanderings in Basel, as the main champion 73 woodcuts (from a total of 103 ); 15 more are attributed to the so-called Haintz - nar - Master and 3 the grace of -her- master; 11 more come from an unknown hand. In the edition of Geiler's Navicula this expressive in composition and brushwork illustrations have been taken. The woodcuts in Locher's Navis Stultivera win their effects through the sophisticated section of the surfaces to achieve a light-dark contrast.

Since philology recognized the value of the Ship of Fools Parade until the 20th century that has previously been long regarded as a rather worthless compilation, the author of the illustrations seem to be moved only recently to the interest of art historians; many have not yet been determined. Some woodcuts in Doctor Murner Narrenbeschwerung are meanwhile attributed to Urs Graf. The illustrations in the Low German edition with Ludwig Dietz in Rostock bear the signature of different artists.

It is unknown as well as who in 1572 manufactured the engravings of the Octave edition of Locher translation, which are characterized in that they show features the fools and their entourage in an elegant contemporary fashion.

Classification

The Ship of Fools is part of the popular literary form of Fools stories, a satirical literature, which has the instruction on the human weaknesses and the critique of the Zeitgeist to content; their expressions are the caricature and exaggeration. To this end, according to Brant's Ship of Fools are also the Praise of Folly ( 1509 ) of Erasmus of Rotterdam, as well as the Gotham (1597 ) and Till Eulenspiegel ( 1515) to name a few.

Although Brant says at the end of Narrenschyff - first edition of 1494, it had arisen vff the vases Eight / one kirch more calleth the fool, is it not to close, that he could have won his fool of the carnival customs, which up to the present day turn solid citizens for a few days a year in exuberantly celebrating fools. It is rather that was known as a gottverneinende, sinful figure in the late Middle Ages the jester already long before Brant that had nothing to do with the actual carnival feast; for the moral satire, the figure of the fool is offered virtually. It is therefore no coincidence. Instead, the author took a understood in all walks of symbolic figure here. Thus, it is not surprising when Sebastian Brant's fool examples in the illustrations, all with the typical fool attributes - among other things, dunce caps, dog-ears and clamps - Are represented.

However, it is also certain that Sebastian Brant and his ship of fools made ​​the allegory of the fool abruptly Europe the most popular figure of the late Middle Ages.

The Ship of Fools in art

Ship of Fools by Jürgen Weber (1928-2007) in Nuremberg

Ship of Fools monument by Horst Reichle in Ehingen (2002)

Up to the present day artists picked for the work on independent productions; so produced, for example, Hans Holbein the age of 17, a series for the marginal drawings in Erasmus ' Praise of Folly to. The painter Hieronymus Bosch treated the theme of the Ship of Fools in one of his paintings. A sculpture by Jürgen Weber put it in the pedestrian zone of the city flaneur in the way. Ehingen began his most famous citizens Sebastian Locher 2002, a ship of fools Memorial.

The Ship of Fools was discussed also in music, including 1980 in the same song the group carat ( Swan King ), as well as the eponymous song by Reinhard Mey on his album a bottle of 1998.

In recent years, the work served as an inspiration for the project fools ships - in-transit actions after Sebastian Brant of the Roman composer Lucia Ronchetti in cooperation with the Express Brass Band from Munich as part of the Opera Festival 2010.

Werkausgaben

• Sebastian Brant: The Ship of Fools, lat of Jakob Locher. Basel: Johann Bergmann from Olpe in 1497 ( March issue )
• Sebastian Brands Ship of Fools. A treasure house for Ergetzung and edification, renewed by Karl Simrock. With the woodcuts of the first issues and the portrait of brands from Reusners Icones. Berlin in 1872, digitized, Internet Archive
• Sebastian Brant: World - mirror or fool - ship, in all Ständt and vice luxurious life, coarse narrechte customs and the world fluidized be seen as equal in a mirror ... and Nachreimung selection made ​​by VO Stomps, together with a preliminary note. Vers with old woodcuts. and Kurt Radloff handwritten. Heidelberg: Spiked -Verlag, 1947, 18 pp.
• Sebastian Brant: The Ship of Fools: with all 114 woodcuts of pressure Basel 1494, ed. by Joachim Knape. Study edition, Stuttgart: . Reclam, 2005 ( Loeb Classical Library, Vol 18333 ), ISBN 3-15-018333-2
• Sebastian Brant: The Ship of Fools. Transferring H. A. Junghans. Durchges. new ed, and with notes and an afterword. by Hans -Joachim Mähl. - Bibliogr. erg output. Stuttgart: Reclam, 1998, 536 pp., ISBN 3-15-000899-9 (Universal Library, No. 899)
• Sebastian Brant: The Ship of Fools. After the first edition (Basel 1494) with the additions of the expenditure of 1495 and 1499, and the woodcuts of the German original editions. Edited by Manfred Lemmer. 4, exp. Edition. Tübingen: Niemeyer, 2004, LII, 377 pp., ISBN 3-484-17105-7 (in fracture) ( reprints German Literature, NF, Vol 5)
• Sebastian Brant: The Ship of Fools, Wiesbaden 2004; ISBN 3-937715-03-7

Digitised

• Digitized version of the Basle edition 1494 copy of the Saxon State Library - State and University Library Dresden
• Digital copy of the Latin edition of Basel in 1497, copy of the Bavarian State Library
• Digitized output of Augsburg in 1497, copy of the Herzog August Bibliothek
• Digital copy of the Latin edition of Basel in 1498, copy of the Herzog August Bibliothek