Gargantua and Pantagruel, Book II
'Gargantua and Pantagruel, Book II' Summary
Gargantua
After the success of Pantagruel, Rabelais revisited and revised his source material, producing an improved narrative of the life and deeds of Pantagruel's father: The Very Horrific Life of Great Gargantua, Father of Pantagruel (in French, La vie très horrifique du grand Gargantua, père de Pantagruel), commonly known as Gargantua.
The narrative begins with Gargantua's birth and childhood. He impresses his father (Grandgousier) with his intelligence, and is entrusted to a tutor. This education renders him a great fool, and he is later sent to Paris with a new tutor.
After Gargantua's reeducation, the narrator turns to some bakers from a neighbouring land who are transporting some fouaces. Some shepherds politely ask these bakers to sell them some of the said fouaces, which request escalates into war.
Gargantua is summoned, while Grandgousier seeks peace. The enemy king (Picrochole) is not interested in peace, so Grandgousier reluctantly prepares for violence. Gargantua leads a well-orchestrated assault, and defeats the enemy.
Book Details
Authors
Francois Rabelais
France
François Rabelais was a French Renaissance writer, physician, Renaissance humanist, monk and Greek scholar. He is primarily known as a writer of satire, of the grotesque, and of bawdy jokes and...
Books by Francois RabelaisDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
Lausbubengeschichten by Ludwig Thoma
The book is a humorous collection of stories about a mischievous school boy named Ludwig, who pulls pranks on the hypocritical and authoritarian figur...
Beatrice by H. Rider Haggard
Beatrice is a lonely twenty-two year old woman. After saving Geoffrey's life, they fall in love. However, Geoffrey is married. In addition, a local ri...
New York Idea by Langdon Mitchell
“The New York Idea” is a satirical play that explores the complexities of marriage and divorce within the backdrop of New York's high society. The pla...
Two Sides of a Question by May Sinclair
Two Sides of a Question, a collection of novellas by May Sinclair, explores the complexities of women's lives and their quest for freedom in Victorian...
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos
The story follows the dalliances of a young blonde gold-digger named Lorelei Lee "in the bathtub-gin era of American history." Published the same year...
Song in Spring by Thomas S. Jones, Jr.
A Song in Spring is a collection of poems that explore themes of love, loss, and the passage of time. Jones's lyrical style and vivid imagery capture...
The Reverberator by Henry James
George Flack is the Paris correspondent for an American scandal sheet called The Reverberator. Francie Dosson, a pretty but not always tactful America...
Clarimonde, La Morte Amoreuse by Theophile Gautier
"La Morte amoureuse" is a short story written by Théophile Gautier and published in La Chronique de Paris in 1836. It tells the story of a priest name...
Coast of Bohemia by William Dean Howells
In 'Coast of Bohemia,' William Dean Howells examines the clash between the conventional world of middle-class society and the unconventional realm of...
One Thing Needful by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
In the heart of Victorian England, Lady Lashmore is a wealthy and privileged woman who dismisses the plight of the poor. Her son, Lord Lashmore, is a...
Reviews for Gargantua and Pantagruel, Book II
No reviews posted or approved, yet...