Town of fools

A town of fools is the base of a number of joke cycles found in various cultures. Jokes of these cycles poke fun at the stupidity of the inhabitants of a real or fictional populated place (village, town, region, etc.). In English folklore the best known butt of jokes of this type are the Wise Men of Gotham. A number of works of satire are set in a town of fools.

The "town of fools" as a part of an old and widespread tradition of mocking the inhabitants of neighboring populated places by ascribing them various negative traits: stupidity, gluttony, greed, deceitfulness, etc.

The Motif-Index of Folk-Literature includes the motif J1703: "Town (country) of fools".

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