Is justice possible when foolishness runs rampant? Are folly and mockery valid means to restrain those who abuse power and thwart just treatment of the populace? This virtual conference, with presentations ranging from the high Middle Ages to the 20th century, examined the social order reflected in the concepts of justice and its untidy, outspoken discontents—fools, scofflaws, even criminal figures. In the medieval and early modern periods, fools generally wore the mantle of outsider and rule-breaker; they were derided for revealing humanity’s foibles yet welcomed for speaking wisdom in the guise of nonsense. Scholars from various disciplines – literature, history, performance — offer perspectives on outlaws and contrarians vis-à-vis lawfulness and the character of Justice within human society past and present.

“Complicity with the Vice: Spectatorship of Crime in Late Medieval and Early Modern English Drama”
Jill Ingram (Associate Professor, Ohio University)

“A Brief History of the American Outlaw Comic”
Eric Shouse (Associate Professor, East Carolina University)

Organized by CMRS Associate Sharon Diane King, PhD. Presented April 24, 2021.

https://cmrs.ucla.edu/event/9848/