Despite the occasional sharpness of Erasmus’s critique, the overall mood of The Praise of Folly is comical and light-hearted, reflecting the overall silly nature of Folly herself. In the letter to Thomas More that opens the essay, Erasmus describes the light-hearted mood to come:
But aside from the fact that I refrain throughout from using names, I have in addition so tempered my style that the judicious reader will easily perceive that my end is pleasure rather than censure. I do not anywhere rake into the occult cesspool of vices, after the manner of Juvenal, but take care to set out things that are ridiculous rather than foul. Still, if there is anyone whom the work cannot please, he should at least remember this, that it is a fine thing to be slandered by Folly.
Erasmus compares his satiric style to that of previous satirists such as Saint Jerome, who wrote harshly about others and even named the targets of their satires directly. In comparison, Erasmus claims to have “tempered” the mood of his essay, aiming to produce “pleasure” rather than “censure.” Further, he notes that his essay does not focus on “the occult cesspool of vices,” or in other words, truly dark and serious topics, but rather, those that are “ridiculous rather than foul.” Those who are offended by his critique, he notes, should recognize that it is a “fine thing” to be “slandered” by a ridiculous goddess such as Folly.
