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Gargantua and Pantagruel

by François Rabelais

Other authors: See the other authors section.

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English (19)  Dutch (4)  Japanese (1)  All languages (24)
Showing 1-5 of 19 (next | show all)
Una din cărţile copliăriei la care am râs cu lacrimi. ( )
  dorin.budusan | Apr 10, 2013 |
I am putting this aside unfinished, as I am not really enjoying it. Here are my thoughts so far (15% through, about halfway done with the first 'Book'):

•Written in mid-1500's (before Shakespeare and after Chaucer)
•I find I have some of the same difficulties with language that I have with Shakespeare (my recent reading of Shakespeare's plays has enhanced my ability to skip over words not only unfamiliar to me but also unknown to my dictionary!) A fair amount of Latin & perhaps other languages untranslated :(
•The translation from French is good - still can appreciate the poetry of the work. And love the Doré illustrations!
•The humor is extremely crude - the 16th century version of Benny Hill, which isn't my cup of tea. Cross between Gulliver in Lilliput and Benny Hill. ( )
  leslie.98 | Apr 1, 2013 |
witty, irreverent, and scatological. no 16th century institution or article of faith is spared from Rabelais's extravagant imagination. ( )
  librarianwilk | Mar 30, 2013 |
What was biting satire in 16th century France was for this 21st century reader a tedious conglomeration of scatological, crude and misogynistic humor. It was a real chore to finish this one. I haven’t forced myself to read a more boring book since finishing Ulysses by James Joyce. I was not surprised to learn that Joyce was influenced by Rabelais. From now on I’ll stick to Captain Underpants for potty humor. ( )
  MaowangVater | Mar 29, 2013 |
“The Life of Gargantua and of Pantagruel” a connected series of five novels written in the 16th century by François Rabelais. A story of two giants, a father (Gargantua) and his son (Pantagruel) and their adventures, written in an amusing, extravagant, satirical vein. The text features much crudity, scatological humour and violence. Lists of explicit or vulgar insults fill several chapters, and is very very funny.

Readers, friends, if you turn these pages
Put your prejudice aside,
For, really, there's nothing here that's outrageous,
Nothing sick, or bad — or contagious.
Not that I sit here glowing with pride
For my book: all you'll find is laughter:
That's all the glory my heart is after,
Seeing how sorrow eats you, defeats you.
I'd rather write about laughing than crying,
For laughter makes men human, and courageous.

BE HAPPY!

http://parrishlantern.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/histories-tragedies-comedies.html ( )
  parrishlantern | Jul 7, 2012 |
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» Add other authors (142 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
François Rabelaisprimary authorall editionsconfirmed
Cohen, J. M.Translatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Le Clercq, JacquesTranslatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Pape, Frank C.Illustratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
Sandfort, J.A.Translatorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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AUX LECTEURS

Amis lecteurs, qui ce livre lisez, 

Despouilez-vous de toute affection, 

Et, le lisant, ne vous scandalisez :

 il ne contient mal ni infection. 

Vray est qu'icy peu de perfection 

Vous apprendrez, sinon en cas de rire ;

Aultre argument ne peut mon coeur elire, 

Voyant le dueil qui vous mine et consomme : 

Mieux est de ris que de larmes escripre, 

Pour ce que rire est le propre de l'homme.
First words
Most noble and illustrious drinkers, and you thrice precious pockified blades (for to you, and none else do I dedicate my writings), Alcibiades, in that dialogue of Plato's which is entitled The Banquet, whilst he was setting forth the praises of his schoolmaster Socrates (without all question the prince of philosophers), amongst other discourses to that purpose said that he resembled the Sileni.
Quotations
So far as I am concerned, I would have every man put aside his proper business, take no care for his trade, and forget his own affairs, in order to devote himself entirely to this book. I would have him allow no distraction or hindrance from elsewhere to trouble his mind, until he knows it by heart; so that if the art of printing happened to die out, or all books should come to perish, everyone should be able, in time to come, to teach it thoroughly to his children, and to transmit it to his successors and survivors, as if from hand to hand, like some religious Cabala.
If you say to me: 'It does not seem very wise of you to have written down all this gay and empty balderdash for us,' I would reply that you do not show yourself much wiser by taking pleasure in the reading of it.
If you want to be good Pantagruelists, moreover - that is to say, to live in peace, joy, and health, always making good cheer - never trust in men who peer from under a cowl.
Friar John: "By my thirst, dear friend, when the snows are on the mountains - the head and chin, I mean - there's no great heat in the valleys of the cod-piece." Panurge: "By the blisters on your heels, you don't understand plain logic. When the snow's on the mountains there is thunder, lightning, whirlwinds, avalanches, tempests and all the devils in the valleys...You mock me for my greying hair, but you don't consider that my nature is like the leeks, which we find white on top when its tail's green, straight, and vigorous."
Last words
Disambiguation notice
This work does indeed contain all five of the books of Gargantua and Pantagruel (i.e. Gargantua, Pantagruel, The Third Book, The Fourth Book, The Fifth Book), even though in some cases (e.g. the Penguin Classics edition), only ‘Gargantua’ and ‘Pantagruel’ are mentioned on the front cover.

Any editions consisting of only ‘Gargantua’ and ‘Pantagruel’ (check the table of contents) should be separated from this work.
This work consists of the five books of Gargantua and Pantagruel, i.e.:
- Gargantua
- Pantagruel
- The Third Book (Le tiers livre)
- The Fourth Book (Le quart livre)
- The Fifth Book (Le cinquième livre)
Should not be combined with editions that contain only the first two books.
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Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 014044047X, Paperback)

This text parodies everyone from eminent classical authors and schoolmen to Rabelais's own acquaintances. But the brilliance of the book lies not merely in these learned references, but in the story into which they are woven.

(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:33:12 -0500)

(see all 6 descriptions)

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