Gargantua and Pantagruel - Softcover

Rabelais, Francois

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1420933094 ISBN 13: 9781420933093

Publisher: Digireads.Com, 2009

Synopsis

An elaborate parody written in the 16th century, "Gargantua and Pantagruel" is a comic blend of energetic realism and carnival fantasy. The two main characters are giants, a father and his son, who have numerous adventures. Many different types of people are satirized during their chivalric exploits, from lawyers to theologians, generals to monarchs, with humor that is often grotesque or obscene. Intertwined with this crude comedy, however, is the wisdom of Renaissance learning, which exposes countless examples of human foolishness. Divided into two volumes, one describes a sullied giant who grows into a grand knight and prince, and the other portrays his erudite son who himself becomes a Renaissance Socrates. Rabelais' work is full of freedom and laughter, as well as a certain understanding that will give readers a renewed worldview.

About this title

About the Author:

François Rabelais was born at the end of the fifteenth century. A Franciscan monk turned Benedictine, he abandoned the cloister in 1530 and began to study medicine at Montpellier. Two years later he wrote his first work, Pantagruel, which revealed his genius as a storyteller, satirist, propagandist and creator of comic situations and characters. In 1534 he published Gargantua, a companion to Pantagruel, which contains some of his best work. It mocks old-fashioned theological education, and opposes the monastic ideal, contrasting it with a free society of noble Evangelicals. Following an outburst of repression in late 1534, Rabelais abandoned his post of doctor at the Hotel-Dieu at Lyons and despite Royal support his book Tiers Livre was condemned. His last work, and his boldest, Quart Livre was published in 1551 and he died two years later. For the last years of his life Rabelais was persecuted by both religious and civil authorities for his publications. His genius however was recognized in his own day and his influence was great.

Dr. M. A. Screech is a Senior Research Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, a Fellow of the British Academy and a Fellow of University College London; he long served on the committee of the Warburg Institute as Fielden Professor of French Language and Literature in London, until his election to All Souls in 1984. He is a Renaissance scholar of international renown. His books include Montaigne and Melancholy, as well as Rabelais and (on Erasmus) Ecstasy and the Praise of Folly; all are acknowledged to be classic studies in their fields.

About this edition

• Publisher: Digireads.Com
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1420933094
• ISBN 13: 9781420933093
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 500