François Rebelais Libri

Forse solo oggi si può apprezzare appieno la modernità di Gargantua e Pantagruele nella sua struttura di opera aperta ed enciclopedica. A caratterizzare questo capolavoro della letteratura rinascimentale sono la sorprendente molteplicità di episodi, digressioni, discussioni filosofiche, filologiche, scientifiche e pedagogiche, la ricchezza dell'invenzione linguistica e gli estri di una satira senza risparmio, che appunta i suoi strali su ogni dogmatismo. Rabelais (1494-1553) non intende darci con la sua opera una filosofia coerente, quanto piuttosto una visione violenta e irripetibile della vita. Come scrive Mario Bonfantini, curatore di questa edizione, «la gravità della sua satira, anche la più buffonesca e fantasiosa, spazia, non diversamente ma tanto più genialmente di quella dell'amico Erasmo, su tutti i campi dell'umana follia». Forse per questo Balzac definì Rabelais «il piú grande spirito dell'età moderna», mentre Chauteabriand lo considerò «il creatore delle lettere francesi».

Rip-roaring and rib-tickling, Francois Rabelais' irreverent story of the giant Gargantua, his giant son Pantagruel, and their companion Panurge is a classic of the written word. This translation, annotated for the nonspecialist, brings to twentieth-century English all the exuberance and invention of the original sixteenth-century French.

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Francois Rabelais's masterpiece is a comic masterpiece of Renaissance literature. Published in the mid-sixteenth century, this work is a hilarious and subversive satire of medieval society and culture. Featuring unforgettable characters and daring humor, Rabelais's work is a classic of Western literature that has inspired generations of writers and readers. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in the history of comedy and satire.