Rabelais, François, << RAB uh `lay` or ra BLEH, fron `swa` >> (1494?-1553?), a French humanist, wrote the comic narrative “Gargantua and Pantagruel.” Begun in 1532 with Pantagruel, the series comprises five books. Gargantua and his son Pantagruel are giants with enormous appetites. In the work, Rabelais used laughter to question and examine the most important institutions of his time. For example, the comic descriptions of Gargantua’s education actually satirize the educational methods of the time and express Rabelais’s own ideas on the subject. Although famous for the earthy quality of his humor, Rabelais wrote earnestly about many subjects.
Rabelais was born near Chinon in the province of Touraine. He became a Franciscan friar in 1520, and received a bachelor of medicine degree in 1530 from the University of Montpellier. He practiced and lectured on medicine from 1532 to 1546.
Pantagruel is a continuation of an anonymous popular work, Chronicles of the Giant Gargantua, published earlier in 1532. While preserving its popular tone, Rabelais added much learned material and showed extraordinary gifts as a satirist and storyteller. Pantagruel was condemned for obscenity by the Sorbonne, the theological college of the University of Paris. In 1534, Rabelais published Gargantua, his own version of the episodes preceding Pantagruel. This book, which introduces the mischievous monk Frere Jean, was also condemned by the Sorbonne.
In 1546, Rabelais published Book Three, which the Sorbonne condemned for heresy. He published Book Four in two parts, in 1548 and 1552. He may have written only parts of Book Five, which appeared in 1562 and 1564, after his death.
With his linguistic creativity, Rabelais invented many words, some of which remain in the French language. His verve, his optimism, his delightful storytelling, and his ability to become involved in both fun and ideas have made him one of the greatest and most loved French writers.
