Behind the middle Nut
What genre is the Foolsbible?
In short
The Foolsbible escapes every fixed genre. Its nearest kin is the Menippean satire, which absorbs other genres; it also bears traits of fool literature, wisdom books, litany, Handke’s “Offending the Audience”, concrete poetry and invective.
| Genre | For | Against |
|---|---|---|
| Menippean satire | serious and comic, prose and verse, ultimate questions, inlaid genres | it mocks itself too – and prays |
| Fool literature (Brant, Erasmus) | the Fool speaks in his own cause | he speaks the language of the present |
| Wisdom book | paradoxical sayings: “Fool is Sage. Sage is Fool.” | no wisdom book insults its reader |
| Litany | two refrains, 202 and 189 times in the Catalysis alone | it curses as well as praises |
| Offending the Audience (Handke, 1966) | the book addresses and abuses its reader | it also comforts him |
| Concrete poetry, Dada | words fall out of the sentence and stand alone on the line | sense is taken apart, not abolished |
| Invective | it attacks every camp | it has no enemy – or all |
Most nearly, the Foolsbible is a Menippean satire – because that genre has always devoured others. Wholly it belongs to none. How it fulfils all fourteen Marks of that Genre is shown on The Foolsbible, dissected.
Questions
Is the Foolsbible a novel?
No. It has no continuous plot; stories, parables, prayers and tirades alternate, carried by the antiphon of two voices.
Which genre is the Foolsbible closest to?
The Menippean satire, which mixes the serious and the comic, prose and verse, and other genres.