Proust = Rabelais, 22 Feb 2002
I am not sure how much many of you will be enamoured by this, but Rabelais' genius was what inspired much of Proust's opus "à la rechereche du temps perdu".

The burlesque and bodily humour used is shocking in this age never mind the 16th century and its use is subtle but brilliant. It makes you laugh out loud and is sincerely a piece of fiction that can be understood on all levels. However, I echo sentiments suggesting that this is a novel to be appreciated by those mature enough to deal with the subject matter. The grotesque imagery conjured up by the brilliant Rabelais is often quite offensive but equally beautiful.

Funnily enough, this novel, though spectacularly brilliant, signalled the end of such humour in literature for the way it was crucified by one and all and it was, thankfully, Proust who revived it. If you enjoy this I wholeheartedly suggest that you read at least some of Proust.

Proust = Rabelais, 22 Feb 2002
I am not sure how much many of you will be enamoured by this, but Rabelais' genius was what inspired much of Proust's opus "à la rechereche du temps perdu".

The burlesque and bodily humour used is shocking in this age never mind the 16th century and its use is subtle but brilliant. It makes you laugh out loud and is sincerely a piece of fiction that can be understood on all levels. However, I echo sentiments suggesting that this is a novel to be appreciated by those mature enough to deal with the subject matter. The grotesque imagery conjured up by the brilliant Rabelais is often quite offensive but equally beautiful.

Funnily enough, this novel, though spectacularly brilliant, signalled the end of such humour in literature for the way it was crucified by one and all and it was, thankfully, Proust who revived it. If you enjoy this I wholeheartedly suggest that you read at least some of Proust.

Sugar-coated philosophy, 17 Jan 2002
This is by far one of the most entertaining works of classical fiction ever written. Like the spoon full of sugar that helps the medicine go down, Rabelais' scatological humour renders his philosophical message, along with his criticisms of his contemporaries, very accessible. In tone it resembles other French classics, such as Voltaire's "Candide", and links can be easily drawn with the works of his fellow Humanists, such as Erasmus. Be warned, however that due to the nature of the subject matter and the humour, this is probably not a good choice for children, the impressionable, and people who find bodily functions, occasionally veiled slightly by euphemism, to be offensive.