Last Thoughts on Gargantua

Posted by Kevin Donovan on August 31, 2011 · Leave a Comment 

After a leisurely summer break, we wrap up Rabelais’ Gargantua and Pantagruel and move on to a new book! Following reads like Naked Lunch and all things Updike, Irving, and Roth, the sexual brazenness, visceral violence, and moral ambiguity of Gargantua delivers more snores than shocks. Yes, taken in context, this nearly 500 year old episodic work … Continue reading →

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Laughter and the Agelasts in Rabelais

Posted by Kevin Donovan on July 19, 2011 · Leave a Comment 

What a post title that is! Writing about Rabelais and Gargantua and Pantagruel reminds me of the foolish errand of the men who try to scientifically parse what makes something funny. That is like determining the materials used to paint the Mona Lisa by seeing how fast it burns.   Rabelais is, or at least was, … Continue reading →

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A New Book: Gargantua and Pantagruel

Posted by Kevin Donovan on July 12, 2011 · Leave a Comment 

Little Women is completed and so we move on to a new book on the Master List. A quick glance at the Books Left to Read list, and I see there are very few left in the top tier. Nine, to be exact, ranging from St. Augustine in the 4th Century to William Gaddis in the … Continue reading →

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