Stage of Fools: A Novel of Sir Thomas More

by Charles A. Brady

'In this powerful novel, enriched with an authentic background which only an eminent writer, historian and scholar can reproduce, the august life of Sir Thomas More is brought into a remarkable living experience. Moving against the sweeping pomp of Tudor living, personified by the crude and lusty figure of Henry VIII, this noble man set himself up, not only in opposition to the lechery of the king, but to the monarch's unbridled desire to sever England's church from the body of Rome. The majestic Tudor epoch, which set the stage for the clash of two determined men, has never been spread with such grandeur on the printed page. With its dramatic power and sweep Stage of Fools is a historical novel in the grand tradition.'

Genres: Fiction

381 pages, Hardcover

Published July 1, 1953

About the author

Brady, former head of the English Department at Canisius College, 'was a professor, poet, novelist, critic and caricaturist, using both pen and wit to illuminate even the darkest recesses of literature. In 1968, the Poetry Society of America gave first prize to Brady's 'Keeper of the Western Gate' and, in 1970, its Cecil Hemley Memorial Award for the best poem on a philosophical theme, 'Ecce Homo Ludens. C.S. Lewis, the eminent British author, once called Brady's critique of his work the best published in Great Britain and the United States. Brady, who was born April 15, 1912, often pointed out that he was born 'the day, the hour and the moment that the Titanic sank.' Stage Of Fools was the author's first of four novels.

Reviews

[Marsha Valance · Rating 4 out of 5]

This March 1953 review from Kirkus says it all for me: "A dignified but warmly understanding portrait of Thomas More and his path through the royal puzzles of the 16th century as he stood by his convictions and chose between his lords temporal and spiritual. From his brave words as a beardless boy when the law rather than the Lord called him, to his rise under Henry VIII, Thomas is limned in detail -- in his concern with ecclesiastical matters, his association with Erasmus, his relation to Wolsey and Cromwell, his fortunes as Speaker and later Chancellor, his two marriages, to the little Jane and Dame Alice Middleton, and in his stand on Henry's divorce from Catherine which won him the enmity of Anne Boleyn and cost him his head. All the complications of high politics, of theological argument, of international pressures background this man who had the 'imp of laughter' all the while he was an 'acrid gorgon of controversy' and who, because he would not deny his God, lost his King's faith. A triumphant transcript, which although tremendously scholarly is nonetheless supple in its character drawing, of far off times and fame touched people." One of my favorite novels of the Tudor period.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel, but found it a difficult read. Charles Brady used many obsolete and rarely used words such as bogle, stangury, falchion, stagirite, giglot, and mawmet. I needed my laptop at the ready. Also, some of the comedy of the fool, Henry Patenson, just wasn't funny to me. He did a bit called Litany of Fools which went like this:
Fool fatal
Fool natural
Fool celestial
Fool jovial
Fool Mercurial
It went on for at least thirty more lines. I didn't get it.
Still, there were parts of it that were captivating and the language was delicious. Consider this line regarding More's contemplation while in the Tower of London:
"For he knew he was very like to come headless to the feast of the residuary worm, the legatee in ordinary of man"

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a often poetic novel depicting the life of St Thomas More. It provides a touching and realistic portrait of the heroic Englishman from the 16th century. It was a touching read that avoided over-sentimentality, yet still strongly demonstrates the strength of character of Thomas More. If you are interested in learning more about the life of St Thomas More then this book is strongly recommended. The book reads like a novel, but remains historically accurate. Inspiring read for the tumultuous times of today.