Jesters and Fools in Fiction

When I get tired of reading dense, scholarly tomes about fools, I turn to my collection of books that include jesters and fools in fiction. I’ve found some excellent jesters and fools in fiction, and I’ve found some bad. I tend to really enjoy the older books, but there’s one modern series that really captures what I’d like to do.

My First Forays Into Jesters and Fools in Fiction

I heard about a book called Troubadour by Richard Burns and bought it, then realized there was a first one to the series called Khalindaine, so I made the mistake of buying that one, too. No–I shouldn’t be so cruel. But honestly. Starts with an intriguing scene, then the whole first chapter is plodding through description after description of the river and the palace and the city…

The troubadour shows up at the end of the chapter and makes me laugh, but then the second chapter goes someplace else and proceeds to describe what it looks like. Hey! I want Streetpoet back! At least he gave us some action and funnies! I think I may just have to go through and read his parts only…the rest may put me to sleep. I think the problem is the high fantasy aspect of it. It’s never been my favorite genre. I seem to recall a few other books that my brothers had that were similar. So bogged down in recreating the place and the writer doesn’t focus on character and plot. I’m striving for something different, so those books got put back on the shelf fast.

My Favorite Novels That Include Jesters and Fools in Fiction

As far as fiction goes, the Alan Gordon Medieval Mysteries series is my absolute favorite.  I bought them all. Even placed the most recent on pre-order with Amazon. He is amazingly good at portraying the scene they’ve set up as entertainers; the dialogue is fast and witty (just what you’d expect from jesters); the love story is sweet; and the mysteries themselves aren’t half bad either. They’re stretched a bit thin in places, but what mystery isn’t? I’m not reading it for critical analysis. But he really does a brilliant job.

The Fool Beloved by Jeffery Farnol book cover features jesters and fools in fiction

I’m reading a few others as well–one of my favorites is The Fool Beloved by Jeffrey Farnol. Wow. So over the top I can’t even believe it. It’s like reading a bad Shakespeare play. But I love it. I don’t know why. Really hard to read the super flowery language, so it’s taking me a bit longer than I expected, but I just love seeing it on the end table by the couch. The book was published in 1949 and smells a bit musty–the pages are all uneven along the edges, not smooth like we’re used to–the cover is the 1949 equivalent to a bodice ripper, I’m thinking. All cowering bad guy and gasping maiden and the fool (Bimbo) advancing menacingly with his marotte. Did I mention how much I love it? The murder scene at the beginning is even done like a play. Off stage left we hear the cries and grunts of pain and running footsteps, and then our hero rushes in too late to rescue his friend. Much wailing and gnashing of teeth, and then the vow of vengeance. Most intriguing, wot?

 

Why not just make two books into three?

I came up with a brilliant idea last week and have been completely caught up in working on it.  My writing group made a suggestion in one of her critiques and I’m just going with it now.  (Have I mentioned how good she is?)  So…her suggestion, my idea?  That doesn’t seem fair to her.  So her idea.  But still my writing!  And honestly.  I had to come up with all the hows and whys.  That certainly wasn’t easy.  But just looking at what’s out there as far as books go, I realized that I really needed to do this character justice and what I have now just isn’t doing that.

What’s really entertaining is that it’s going to turn my two book project into a three book project.  The dreaded trilogy.  I always have a little disdain for the trilogy because it’s rare that any of the books can stand on their own.  I suppose that I’ll have to work extra hard to make certain that these can.  The first one should be able to–it’s the middle one I’m most concerned about.  And I love the beginning pages of the current novel (which will be turned into the second novel) so I want to keep those as the first novel, but that means writing a whole new beginning for the second novel and that just won’t work because it ruins the whole set up that I had going on there…  So I decided that I would sit down and just try writing a new opening for the first novel.  Just to see–then I could use it if I wanted.  I sat for thirty minutes in front of a blank screen.  Quite pathetic.  I used to adore writing beginnings.  Loved it.  Would come up with first sentences of novels that would rival any Bulwer-Lytton winner.  And now?  Nothing.  I started and deleted about a hundred times.

On another topic, I’ve finished with both Enid and Beatrice (who actually turned out to be pretty entertaining) and am on to William and John.  Will’s a real pill.  Wretchedly full of himself.  John’s so-so.  He hasn’t amazed me yet…I’m still waiting.

Ego boosters!

My writing group (of one) called up yesterday to give me the update on what she thought of the novel.  The simple fact that she’s having to remind herself constantly that I wrote it in high school is troublesome enough.  But apparently, my writing is so horrible that she realized that she could write something much better and came up with an idea of her own!  Ha!

OK.  So not fair.  This is the whole point of a writing group.  I’m super excited that she has such a great idea and I feel a little bit responsible, so that’s nice.  And I know all the work that has to go into mine.  I just hope that I’ve improved recently.  Really.  Is the stuff I’m writing now that bad?  Oh…the doubt.