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lauryn_18's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
spiritualkungfu's review against another edition
3.0
I listened to it as an audiobook which I think was a bad option, the writing just didn't suit the format and I lost concentration sometimes, it might just have been me but that doesn't happen very often, I will probably try returning to it with a physical copy one day because it was pretty interesting at points.
Not a very good review lol.
2.5 but I can't do that on phone.
Not a very good review lol.
2.5 but I can't do that on phone.
annenikoline's review against another edition
2.0
"Gargantua" by François Rabelais toook me by surprise. When I was expecting an epic tale, I got av ery nasty one containing lots of faeces and pedophilia, how stealing cakes can star wars and how one can easily steal the bells of Notre Dame to hang on one's neck as jingles. Of course this is all written satiric.
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.
Because of this the book is of course very entertaining with its wittiness and disgust, and even though I am not entirely sure for what purpose it served it was a light read. Things that bothered me was the long chapters about how Gargantua's schedule which is very detailed but without purpose. The author, François Rabelais, most likely wanted to criticize the well-educated or those who believe they have read everything and know everything by heart which does not seem likely.
Seeing how sorrow eats you, defeats you. I'd rather write about laughing than crying, for laughter makes men human, and courageous.
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.
Because of this the book is of course very entertaining with its wittiness and disgust, and even though I am not entirely sure for what purpose it served it was a light read. Things that bothered me was the long chapters about how Gargantua's schedule which is very detailed but without purpose. The author, François Rabelais, most likely wanted to criticize the well-educated or those who believe they have read everything and know everything by heart which does not seem likely.
Seeing how sorrow eats you, defeats you. I'd rather write about laughing than crying, for laughter makes men human, and courageous.
d_is_reading's review against another edition
4.0
Read it when I was a kid. Wondered how it's like being a giant man who eats infinite food.
jake_'s review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
3.75
This gargantuan epic was always going to be a bit of a slog, but it was laugh-out-loud funny at times, and learned and allusive throughout. There's no doubt that it is a masterpiece of satire, bridging the gap between the Graeco-Roman tradition and more recent modernist, experimental and maximalist texts.
blueyorkie's review against another edition
5.0
It was perhaps my lucky day when chance put in my hands this volume, which contains two works by the man who is perhaps considered the first great novelist in literature history.
Gargantua and Pantagruel are part of these complete works which alone embrace several literary sources: the novel of chivalry, the fantastic tale, parody and satire…; as well as several themes and sources of inspiration: war, education, burlesque dialogues, fantastic journeys, verisimilitude and improbability, fantasy ... This heterogeneous mixture is based on great freedom and improvisation; a pleasant and surprising style that we find in the first great fictional works like Don Quixote by Cervantes, Jacques Le Fataliste by Diderot or perhaps even Tristam Shandy by Sterne. These works that have made novelists dream and which still fascinate readers.
This could repel some fans of the classic nineteenth-century novel. But you should know that we are in front of two masterful works where the imagination had this magic of the tales of the Thousand and One Nights. This kind of series of stories can insert other stories in the same vein, another fantastic night without the text losing its general unity. We find images in the masters of magical realism in whom humour goes hand in hand with depth. In Gargantua and Pantagruel, Rabelais used his erudition and his sense of observation to create this universe with its unforgettable characters (among them this famous Panurge).
For the modern reader that we are, Rabelais and his two works link with the 16th century, where so many changes have taken place, especially in terms of language. Rabelais makes us relive this bygone century with its customs, its conflicts, its great ideas, its quarrels, this spirit of humanism as well as this thirst for knowledge worthy of the Renaissance; all this expressed with great relief and picturesque especially with humour and erudition. Rabelais tells us about these two good giants' itinerary since their birth, describing their education and their exploits and prowess.
Gargantua and Pantagruel are part of these complete works which alone embrace several literary sources: the novel of chivalry, the fantastic tale, parody and satire…; as well as several themes and sources of inspiration: war, education, burlesque dialogues, fantastic journeys, verisimilitude and improbability, fantasy ... This heterogeneous mixture is based on great freedom and improvisation; a pleasant and surprising style that we find in the first great fictional works like Don Quixote by Cervantes, Jacques Le Fataliste by Diderot or perhaps even Tristam Shandy by Sterne. These works that have made novelists dream and which still fascinate readers.
This could repel some fans of the classic nineteenth-century novel. But you should know that we are in front of two masterful works where the imagination had this magic of the tales of the Thousand and One Nights. This kind of series of stories can insert other stories in the same vein, another fantastic night without the text losing its general unity. We find images in the masters of magical realism in whom humour goes hand in hand with depth. In Gargantua and Pantagruel, Rabelais used his erudition and his sense of observation to create this universe with its unforgettable characters (among them this famous Panurge).
For the modern reader that we are, Rabelais and his two works link with the 16th century, where so many changes have taken place, especially in terms of language. Rabelais makes us relive this bygone century with its customs, its conflicts, its great ideas, its quarrels, this spirit of humanism as well as this thirst for knowledge worthy of the Renaissance; all this expressed with great relief and picturesque especially with humour and erudition. Rabelais tells us about these two good giants' itinerary since their birth, describing their education and their exploits and prowess.
ellenannmary's review against another edition
dnf'd after 500 pages so I'm counting it as read- die mad. Was assigned Pantagruel, Gargantua and Third Book of Pantagruel for class.
deanjean_reads's review against another edition
3.0
Gargantua And Pantagruel, spread across 5 books, depicts the lives of two giants seeking true knowledge of themselves, and of the world. They encounter and befriend memorable acquaintances, fight wars and journey to mystical lands. It's hilariously deranged and absurd, but yet very serious and encompassing of life and of society itself in some aspects. This makes Gargantua and Pantagruel relatable till today, despite its age.
There's allusions to Greek myths, laws, medical definitions, to his multilingual talents employed in punning and in the naming of the characters, and also to the philosophers and writers of his time. In addition, coarse, bawdy jokes and satire are woven into these tales, which may be distasteful for those who prefer their reading to be more refined. These range from bodily excrescences, laws, his intense dislike for some of the ruling Catholic authorities, superstition, the sexual organs and the upper classes, to name a few.
This was a painfully hefty read, owing to the medieval origins of the books - but still hugely enjoyable to the end.
There's allusions to Greek myths, laws, medical definitions, to his multilingual talents employed in punning and in the naming of the characters, and also to the philosophers and writers of his time. In addition, coarse, bawdy jokes and satire are woven into these tales, which may be distasteful for those who prefer their reading to be more refined. These range from bodily excrescences, laws, his intense dislike for some of the ruling Catholic authorities, superstition, the sexual organs and the upper classes, to name a few.
This was a painfully hefty read, owing to the medieval origins of the books - but still hugely enjoyable to the end.