Since April begins
with April Fools’ Day, I thought I’d write about those who make us laugh and
push our buttons. In the first book of my time travel series, I introduce you
to Alan a Dale—Robin Hood’s famous minstrel and part of his band of merry
teens. In my version, Alan is a teenage jongleur—a.k.a. juggler— and is
instrumental in helping the Timekeepers with their mission in Nottingham. Jongleurs
and juggles and jesters all fall into the same category: their purpose was to
entertain royalty and commoners alike. In fact, the word ‘jester’ derives from
the Anglo-Norman (French) words gestour
or jestour meaning storyteller or
minstrel.
Jesters (or fools
as they were known) held a position of power and privilege within a royal or
noble household. They could get away with saying or doing anything to the king
or queen or nobles—literally anyone—without being punished. Compare the antics
to our modern day comedians like Tim Allen, Robin Williams (still miss him),
Ellen DeGeneres, or any past or
present Saturday Night
Live
comedians and you get what I mean. Comedians will say and do anything (most
times for the shock value) and get away with it.
Now, if you think
about it, books are a huge part of the entertainment industry. We writers are
present day jesters and fools too. Words are power. And like comedians, we can
pretty much say whatever we want in the written form, and publish it on Amazon
or any other on-line publishing site. But there’s a fine line here. Back in the
day, when jesters got a free pass for their behavior (with the exception of a
few who did get reprimanded or whipped), they didn’t have the social media
circus that we have now. Nowadays, if someone says something out of turn, you
can bet it will be tweeted or shared! The jester’s main job was to entertain
through stories or music or juggling. They poked fun at others, helped them to
lighten up, and made them smile and laugh. Sometimes they even stopped wars
from happening by detonating a situation between royals.
Imagine if writers
had that kind of power? To write a book so powerful it could stop a war. Put
down prose that would allow a reader to visualize walking in a character’s
shoes. Or just create a story that will take readers away from their mundane
existence. Keep in mind the intent of such power, and use intention as a
foundation, and you’ve probably written a generational book that will continued
to be talked about and read in the future. Think To Kill a Mockingbird or Les
Miserables or The Catcher in the Rye,
and you know what I’m talking about. Jesters, like authors, aren’t so far apart
after all. We just have to remember to lighten-up, ourselves.
So, what makes you
laugh-out-loud? Do you have a favorite modern day jester? How about a book that
affected you so deeply that you’d recommend your kids and grandchildren should
read it? Would love to read your comments! Cheers and thank you for reading my
blog!
