The Feast of Fools
Encyclopedia
The Feast of Fools is a novel by John David Morley
, a neo-Joycean
translation of the Greek myth of Persephone
to contemporary Munich
.
. Thus begins an epic novel encompassing astrology
, astronomy
, antiquarian glossaries, mortuary science
, fencing guilds, love, sex and Commedia Dell’Arte
, spanning the dream-lives of a community of modern day characters during the medieval carnival
season of Fasching.
. "The Feast of Fools is one of those rare novels that has the richness and power of myth without sacrificing the more terrestrial virtues of elegance, erotic pleasure, wit, and narrative skill." “The glittering prose is enchanting” wrote Erica Wagner in The Times
. “The style is rich and amethyst,” remarked Simon Rees in The Independent
: “There are memorable phrases, descriptions that stick in the mind like tunes or smells, and a relish for a huge vocabulary which is put to work on pear-picking, frost, sex, furniture and much besides.” “Although the year is not far advanced, it is unlikely to yield a more bizarre or ambivalent reading experience than The Feast of Fools," wrote Robert Taylor in The Boston Globe
. "It is highly pretentious, often obscure, occasionally verbose and turgid,” Taylor continued, concluding: "Feast could become a cult item like John Fowles
' The Magus
." "In an age of planned literary obsolescence, serious writers can vanish in the cracks between hype and distraction," literary critic Ihab Hassan
noted in World Literature Today: "John David Morley is a very serious writer, abundantly gifted — his work sometimes brings Joyce
, sometimes Pynchon
to mind — and he rightly demands our fullest attention."
Designated a notable book by The New York Times Book Review
, The Feast of Fools became, in 1991, the first non-German language work to receive a City of Munich Literary Prize.
John David Morley
-Early life:The third and youngest child of the artist and sculptor Patricia Morley and John Arthur Elwell Morley, an officer in the British Colonial Service, John David Victor Morley was born “in something of a hurry on a bench in a third-class Chinese ward at the Kandang Kerbau Maternity...
, a neo-Joycean
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
translation of the Greek myth of Persephone
Persephone
In Greek mythology, Persephone , also called Kore , is the daughter of Zeus and the harvest-goddess Demeter, and queen of the underworld; she was abducted by Hades, the god-king of the underworld....
to contemporary Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
.
Summary
On the day of her wedding to the artist Brum, Stephanie elopes with the undertaker Max at the autumn equinoxEquinox
An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth's equator...
. Thus begins an epic novel encompassing astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
, astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
, antiquarian glossaries, mortuary science
Mortuary science
Mortuary science is the study of dead bodies through mortuary work. The term is most often applied to a college curriculum in the United States that prepares a student for a career as a mortician or funeral director. Many also study embalming to supplement their mortuary science studies. Some...
, fencing guilds, love, sex and Commedia Dell’Arte
Commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte is a form of theatre characterized by masked "types" which began in Italy in the 16th century, and was responsible for the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios. The closest translation of the name is "comedy of craft"; it is shortened...
, spanning the dream-lives of a community of modern day characters during the medieval carnival
Feast of Fools
The Feast of Fools, known also as the festum fatuorum, festum stultorum, festum hypodiaconorum, or fête des fous, are the varying names given to popular medieval festivals regularly celebrated by the clergy and laity from the fifth century until the sixteenth century in several countries of Europe,...
season of Fasching.
Reception
“A gorgeous puzzle-book of a novel, beautifuly detailed and painstakingly crafted by a brilliant parodist,” judged The Globe and Mail. ""A stunning achievement," declared D. M. ThomasD. M. Thomas
Donald Michael Thomas, known as D. M. Thomas , is a Cornish novelist, poet, and translator.Thomas was born in Redruth, Cornwall, UK. He attended Trewirgie Primary School and Redruth Grammar School before graduating with First Class Honours in English from New College, Oxford in 1959...
. "The Feast of Fools is one of those rare novels that has the richness and power of myth without sacrificing the more terrestrial virtues of elegance, erotic pleasure, wit, and narrative skill." “The glittering prose is enchanting” wrote Erica Wagner in The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
. “The style is rich and amethyst,” remarked Simon Rees in The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
: “There are memorable phrases, descriptions that stick in the mind like tunes or smells, and a relish for a huge vocabulary which is put to work on pear-picking, frost, sex, furniture and much besides.” “Although the year is not far advanced, it is unlikely to yield a more bizarre or ambivalent reading experience than The Feast of Fools," wrote Robert Taylor in The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
. "It is highly pretentious, often obscure, occasionally verbose and turgid,” Taylor continued, concluding: "Feast could become a cult item like John Fowles
John Fowles
John Robert Fowles was an English novelist and essayist. In 2008, The Times newspaper named Fowles among their list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".-Birth and family:...
' The Magus
The Magus (novel)
The Magus is the first novel written by British author John Fowles. It tells the story of Nicholas Urfe, a teacher on a small Greek island...
." "In an age of planned literary obsolescence, serious writers can vanish in the cracks between hype and distraction," literary critic Ihab Hassan
Ihab Hassan
Ihab H. Hassan is an American literary theorist and writer born in Egypt.-Biography:He was born in Cairo Egypt, and emigrated to the United States in 1946. Currently he is Emeritus Vilas Research Professor at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee...
noted in World Literature Today: "John David Morley is a very serious writer, abundantly gifted — his work sometimes brings Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
, sometimes Pynchon
Thomas Pynchon
Thomas Ruggles Pynchon, Jr. is an American novelist. For his most praised novel, Gravity's Rainbow, Pynchon received the National Book Award, and is regularly cited as a contender for the Nobel Prize in Literature...
to mind — and he rightly demands our fullest attention."
Designated a notable book by The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review
The New York Times Book Review is a weekly paper-magazine supplement to The New York Times in which current non-fiction and fiction books are reviewed. It is one of the most influential and widely read book review publications in the industry. The offices are located near Times Square in New York...
, The Feast of Fools became, in 1991, the first non-German language work to receive a City of Munich Literary Prize.
External links
- http://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/22/books/mayhem-in-munich.html 'Mayhem in Munich', Suzanne Ruta, The New York Times Book Review (January 22, 1995)
- http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1995-02-19/entertainment/9502190140_1_brum-munich-john-david-morley, ‘A Woman Flees Munich for Seasonal Reasons’, Andy Solomon, The Chicago Tribune (February 19, 1995)