---

Why is folly essential to the functioning of a healthy society? Why is theatre a natural home for madness? The answers take the reader on a journey embracing Shakespeare and Jonson, Brecht and Beckett, Büchner and Boal. From Falstaff to Fo via Figaro, this study examines the art of telling truth to power and surviving long enough to have a laugh.

---

Fooling with Gods and Men Fooling with Carnival and Lent Fooling with Falstaff Fooling with Love Fooling with Royalty Fooling with Reason Fooling with Intervention Fooling with Revolution Fooling with Existence Fooling with Applications Bibliography Index

---

´Tim Prentki has written an insightful book that chronicles the power of laughter from a remarkable variety of historic and literary perspectives. It is a valuable resource for students and scholars interested in the serious side of clowning.´ - Ron Jenkins, Professor of Theater, Wesleyan University, USA

---

TIM PRENTKI Professor of Theatre for Development at the University of Winchester, UK. He is a member of the editorial board of Research in Drama Education and has written for applied theatre journals across the world. He is co-author of Popular Theatre in Political Culture and co-editor of The Applied Theatre Reader.

---