Gargantua and Pantagruel

by Francois Rabelais

Progress Report Number 2

November 30, 1997

The first book concerning Gargantua concluded on a sudden, unexpected note after the giant’s war adventure with Friar John. Gargantua, following the wise counsel of his father, was generous in rewarding his loyal army and followers. He endowed Friar John with a monastery of his own choice—one which Friar John chose to be directly opposite the way the ones were where he came from.

Read about this yourself in Chapter 52—The Abbey of Theleme.

1. No walls will be built around it.
2. If any monk or nun should visit there, the place where he or she stepped on while there shall be washed.
3. There are to be no clocks
4. No women should be admitted unless they were beautiful, well-built, and sweet-natured, or any men who were not handsome, well-built, and of pleasant nature also..
5. There should be no women when there are no men, and no men when there are no women.
6. Both men and women, once accepted, could depart from there whenever they pleased, without let or hindrance.
7. Anyone could be regularly married, could become rich, and could live at liberty.

Then, there is the prophetic riddle in Chapter 58, and that’s the end of Book 1 of Gargantua and Pantagruel. I was impressed by this list he has given, the opposites of the monastic rule of the day. The introduction and biography of Francois Rabelais speaks of his resenting somewhat being sent off to school at a monastery as a child. His father was a doctor. Although lucky to get the only decent education there, he was a rebellious sort, and it seems natural he would tend to have some keen fun with words about such an idea of opposites of the monastic rule of St. Benedict (6th Century), for instance. Rabelais really was a revolutionary character. Certainly that would be part of why we remember him so well 463 years later; his eloquent and brilliant parody are other reasons, I believe.

Copyright 1997, Herman Fontenot

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© 1997 Herman Fontenot

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