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The ship of fools is an allegory that has long been a fixture in Western literature and art. The allegory depicts a vessel populated by human inhabitants who are deranged, frivolous, or oblivious, passengers aboard a ship without a pilot, and seemingly ignorant of their own direction. This concept makes up the framework of the 15th century book Ship of Fools (1494) by Sebastian Brant, which served as the inspiration for Bosch's famous painting: a ship--an entire fleet at first--sets off from Basel to the paradise of fools. In literary and artistic compositions of the 15th and 16th centuries, the cultural motif of the ship of fools also served to parody the 'ark of salvation' (as the Catholic Church was styled). Michel Foucault, who wrote Madness and Civilization, saw in the ship of fools a symbol of the consciousness of sin and evil alive in the medieval mindset and imaginative landscapes of the Renaissance. According to the intro to Madness and Civilization, "Renaissance men developed a delightful, yet horrible way of dealing with their mad denizens: they were put on a ship and entrusted to mariners because folly, water, and sea, as everyone then "knew," had an affinity for each other. Thus, "Ship of Fools" crisscrossed the sea and canals of Europe with their comic and pathetic cargo of souls. Some of them found pleasure and even a cure in the changing surroundings, in the isolation of being cast off, while others withdrew further, became worse, or died alone and away from their families. The cities and villages which had thus rid themselves of their crazed and crazy, could now take pleasure in watching the exciting sideshow when a ship full of foreign lunatics would dock at their harbors . " Ship of Fools may also refer to:
In art:
  • Ship of Fools, a 1962 novel by Katherine Anne Porter
  • Ship of Fools, a 1965 motion picture, based on the novel
  • La nave de los locos, a 1984 novel, by Cristina Peri Rossi, Uruguayan writer
  • Ship of Fools, Michael Bedard 1992
  • The Ship of Fools is a work (1996) by French composer Thierry Lancino based on the texts by Sebatian Brant
  • Ship of Fools, a 1997 Doctor Who spin-off novel by Dave Stone
  • Ship of Fools, a 1999 short story by Theodore Kaczynski, the Unabomber
  • Ship of Fools, a 2001 award-winning science fiction novel by Richard Paul Russo
  • The Ship of Fools, a 2001 novel by Gregory Norminton
  • The Ship of Fools, a print by Theresa Pateman, British artist
  • Ship of Fools, prints and posters by István Orosz Hungarian artist
  • "Ship of Fools", a media art group based in Bristol(External Link) "Ship of Fools" sculpture at Norwich School of Art and Design by Samuel Halstead 28 June 2008 "Ship of Fools, a bronze sculpture by Tim Pomeroy, Isle of Arran, Scotland, In music:
    Ship of fools is frequently used in popular music. Acts who have recorded songs titled "Ship of Fools" include:
  • Alphaville
  • John Cale
  • The Doors
  • Dr. Strangely Strange
  • The Grateful Dead
  • Erasure
  • Yngwie Malmsteen
  • Robert Plant
  • Scorpions
  • Secret Chiefs 3
  • Bob Seger
  • Brand New
  • Ron Sexsmith
  • Soul Asylum
  • Tuxedomoon
  • Van der Graaf Generator
  • World Party
  • Sarah Brightman
  • Yuki Kajiura (for the Soundtrack)
  • Joe Sample It is also the title of an album by John Renbourn. A now-defunct Yorkshire band were actually named Ship of Fools. The phrase also features in the 1986 hit single "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" by Wang Chung as "A ship of fools sailing on..." In other contexts:
  • Ship of Fools, a popular UK-based Christian website
  • The Golgafrinchan B Ark in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy    

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