François Rabelais

François Rabelais (Close to Chinon, Indre-et-Loire, between 1483 and 1494 - Paris, April 9th 1553) is a Médecin and writer French of the Renaissance.

Rabelais is one of the humanistic most known of the Rebirth, which fight with enthusiasm to renew, in the light of the ancient thought, the philosophical and moral ideal of their time. Its work is put at the Index Librorum Prohibitorum.

Biography

François Rabelais, wire of Antoine Rabelais, Seneshal of Lerné and lawyer would have been born in 1494, with the field of Devinière, close to Chinon in Touraine though no document makes it possible to establish with true certainty its place and birth date. Thus the date of 1494 is very discussed, some preferring to him 1483 or 1489. This uncertainty is due to the destruction of many parochial register and baptismal certificates during the French revolution.

According to Bruneau de Tartifume (1574-1636), Rabelais is beginner, towards the end of 1510, with the monastery of Cordeliers (Ordre of the minor brothers, or franciscain) of Baumette, built in front of the Maine, close to the rock of Chanzé with Angers.

It receives a formation of Théologie.

Later, Rabelais joined the convent Franciscain of Puy-Saint-Martin with Fontenay-the-Count, where he becomes monk about October 1520. Alive ecclesiastic in cohabitation, Rabelais scratched readily the women, scoffed the unfortunate husbands and presented the marriage like a lottery. Appreciating however the ladies quite born and erudite, it described the ideal small family under the features of Grandgousier, Gargamelle and Gargantua. It expresses a humanistic curiosity very early. Pierre Lamy initiates it being studied Greek and encourages it to write with Guillaume Budé. Rabelais is interested in the ancient authors, and corresponds later with other the humanistic famous ones.

With Pierre Lamy, Rabelais attends the hotel of the legist fontenaisien André Tiraqueau where meet beautiful spirits of the area. It meets there in particular Amaury Bouchard and Geoffroy d' Estissac, prior and bishop of the abbey Bénédictin E of Maillezais.

In 1523, following the comments of Érasme on the Greek text of the Gospels, the Sorbonne tries to prevent the study of the Greek. At the end of this year, the superiors of Rabelais and Pierre Lamy confiscate their books of Greek. Although its books are restored to him little by little, Rabelais is solved to change monastic order. Supported by Geoffroy d' Estissac, who accommodates it in his abbey of Maillezais, Rabelais presents a request to the pope in this direction, by justifying it by the excessive austerity of the rule of Saint-François.

Become Benedictine, Rabelais sticks to the person of Geoffroy d' Estissac, and becomes its secretary. It thus accompanies it during the rounds of inspection by its grounds and abbeys. Rabelais remains then with the priory of Ligugé, main home of Geoffroy d' Estissac, where it binds friendship with Jean Bouchet. With the monastery close to Fontenay-the-Count, it meets the noble abbot Antoine Ardillon.

Rabelais does not yield easily with the rules monacales and does not remain cloister in its monastery. Towards 1528, it takes the dress of secular priest to go in various universities.

It goes initially to Paris, where it begins its studies of medicine. It has two children.

September 17th 1530, it is registered with the Medical college of Montpellier, where it gives courses on Hippocrates and Galien. It is received there graduate the 1^er next November.

To Montpellier, Rabelais binds friendship with the doctor Guillaume Rondelet (1507-1566).

In spring 1532, Rabelais settles with Lyon, great arts center where the trade of the bookstore flowers. The 1^er November, it is named doctor of the Hôtel-Dieu of Notre-Dame of the Pity of the Bridge-of-Rhone (Lyon). It there also teaches medicine and publishes criticisms of medical treaties ancient. Its close relations Etienne Dolet (1509-1546), Mellin of Saint-Froze (1491-1558), Jean Salmon Macrin (1490-1557) are protected by the bishop from Paris, Jean of Bellay, which becomes also the guard of Rabelais.

Rabelais publishes Pantagruel in 1532 under the pseudonym of Alcofrybas Nasier (Anagramme of François Rabelais). He writes a letter with Érasme in which he declares the spiritual son of the humanistic one, in what he wanted to reconcile the pagan thought with the Christian thought, thus building what one called Christian Humanism.

After the success of its first work, Rabelais publishes Gargantua in 1534, under the same pseudonym, useful precaution since all its books are then condemned by the Sorbonne.

It accompanies Jean by Bellay in Rome, in charge of a special mission near the pope Clément VII.

After the Business of the Wall cupboards (1534), Jean of Bellay, named cardinal, again takes it along to Rome. The pope Clément VII exonerates Rabelais of his crimes of Apostasie and irregularity.

From August 1535 at May 1536, Rabelais still remains in Rome as an agent of Geoffroy d' Estissac. January 17th, 1536, a Bref of Paul III authorizes Rabelais to regain a monastery Benedictine of its choice, and to exert medicine without practicing surgical operations. The cardinal of Bellay, abbot of the monastery Benedictine of Saint-Maur-of-Ditches, offers to him to receive it in this monastery. However, this convent of monk became a collegiate church canons, just before Rabelais was not received there. A new request with the pope makes it possible Rabelais to regulate this problem of dates, and to thus find its freedom in all legality.

End 1539, Rabelais leaves for Turin in the continuation Guillaume Bellay, brother of the cardinal, lord of Langey and governor of the Piedmont. In 1540, François and Junie, the bastard children of Rabelais brother, are legitimated by Paul III. January 9th 1543, Langey dies in Saint-Saphorin, and Rabelais is charged to bring back its body to the Mans, where it is buried on March 5th, 1543. The next May 30th, Geoffroy d' Estissac, the first guard of Rabelais, dies in its turn.

September 19th 1545, Rabelais obtains a royal privilege for the impression of the Tiers Book ; published in 1546, Rabelais the sign of its own name. The book is censured at once for Hérésie. In March 1546, Rabelais is withdrawn with Metz, city of the Empire, at Etienne Laurens, and is named doctor of the town of Metz.

In 1547, the king Henri II succeeds François I {{er}}. Jean of Bellay is maintained with the Royal Council, and obtains the general superintendence of the businesses of the kingdom in Italy. About July 1547, Rabelais returns to Paris as a doctor of the cardinal, whom it accompanies in his voyages.

In 1548, eleven chapters of the Quart Delivers are published; the integral version appears only in 1552.

August 6th 1550, Rabelais obtains from the king a privilege of edition for all its works, with prohibition with whoever to print them or to modify them without its assent.

January 18th 1551, the cardinal of Bellay grants Rabelais the cures of Meudon and Saint-Christophe-of-Jambet the. Rabelais was cleaned of Meudon only the two years space minus a few days. It is not sure that it never fulfilled the functions curiales. The new bishop of Paris, Eustace of Bellay, making his first pastoral visit, in the month of June 1551, is received in Meudon by Pierre Richard, vicar, and four other priests; he is not question of Rabelais. In any case, it is obvious that it could not leave in the country these deep traces, these long-lived memories which would have found hundred years later the Antoine Leroy, Bernier, the Colletet. The legend of the priest of Meudon was formed afterwards.

March 1st 1552, the Quart delivers is censured by the theologists.

January 7th 1553, Rabelais resigns its cures. He dies in Paris in April 1553.

In 1562, the Sounding Isle , which includes/understands sixteen chapters of the Fifth Book , is published. The Fifth Book is published completely in 1564, and is allotted to Rabelais, attribution that many commentators will dispute later.

Rabelais, to write its first texts, is inspired directly by the Folklore and the tradition oral popular. In 1534 appear in Lyon the Grandes and inevitable chronicles of the enormous giant Gargantua , an anonymous collection of popular tales at the same time epic and Comique S. These tales draw themselves their sources in the tale of chivalry of the Middle Ages, in particular the Cycle arthurien. This collection obtains a great success.

Rabelais is then put to write a text which takes again the narrative screen of the Chroniques . He tells the history of Pantagruel, wire of Gargantua of the Chroniques . Pantagruel thus is very marked by its popular sources.

Extremely success of Pantagruel , Rabelais undertakes to rewrite with its way the history of Gargantua. Deviating from its initial popular sources, Rabelais writes a Gargantua literarily more marked Humanisme than the first opus.

Topics

Rabelais tells the actions of two giants, Pantagruel and Gargantua, since their birth until their maturity. They are not cruel ogres, but giants débonnaires and gloutons. With the wire of the adventures the size of the giants can vary; they remain giants for the comic episodes and the epopee but find human size for the philosophical parts. As one advances in the novel the difference in size with other characters tends to disappear.

The gigantism of its characters makes it possible Rabelais to describe scenes of feasts Burlesque S. the infinite goinfrery of the giants opens the door with many comic episodes. Thus, the first cry of Gargantua to his birth is: “With drinking! With drinking! ”. The recourse to the giants also makes it possible to upset the usual perception of reality. Under these aspects, the work of Rabelais falls under the style Grotesque, which belongs to the Popular culture and Carnavalesque.

Nevertheless, the topic of the giant is not exploited solely for its comic. It symbolizes the human ideal of the Renaissance: it is the physical transposition of the immense intellectual appetite of the man of the Rebirth. Rabelais makes an effort thus, through its texts, to reconcile erudite culture and popular tradition.

Vis-a-vis this oscillation between unslung imagination and intellectual symbolism, how to include/understand the work of Rabelais? Its intentions remain rather enigmatic. In the Foreword of the Gargantua , he says to want above all to make laugh. Then, in the Prolog , by a comparison with the silene S and with Socrate, it suggests that a serious intention and a deep sense hide under the grotesque and whimsical aspect. But in second half of the prolog, he criticizes the commentators who seek directions hidden in works. Obviously, Rabelais likes to let plane ambiguity and disturb its reader.

Picturesque writer, it testifies moreover to an extraordinary gift of the verbal invention.

The religion of Rabelais: an important debate historiographic

The personality of Rabelais crystallizes a debate between historians on the question of the unbelief in the 16th century. Abel Lefranc, author of the first critical edition of Rabelais at the 20th century, thus supports in a series of introductory articles (1912 - 1930) the thesis of the atheism of its author. He is based on extracts of his work (in particular the letter of Gargantua with Pantagruel) and the charges carried against him by Calvin ( Of the scandals , 1550) and by Robert Estienne (foreword of the Gospel according to Matthieu, 1553).

The opposite thesis is constant in 1924 by the catholic theologist Etienne Gilson, and especially by the historian of the Annales Lucien Febvre in the problem of the unbelief in XVIe century, the religion of Rabelais (1942). For this last, the charges of atheism carried against Rabelais should not be interpreted in the light of the modern Rationalisme, but replaced in the context of the time. Indeed, was considered atheist any person who did not conform to the dominant religion, or at least with the religion of its indicter. This debate, relating initially to the analysis of the work of Rabelais, thus opens the way with a more general reflection on the mental representations of the time.

The humor of Rabelais

Various types of humor strew the unit with the work of Rabelais but it also practiced it in its life. One day that without money, it was in Lyon and wished to go to Paris, it left in obviousness several sugar sachets which it entitled: “Poison for the king”. He is stopped and led to Paris by men-at-arms but free. The king François Ier laughs at it so much says one that it paid the note without discussing, which is at the origin of the expression: “fifteen minutes of Rabelais”, indicating the delicate moment to settle a debt whereas one is without money.

Rabelais and thelemism

Rabelais is quoted as being at the origin of the Thélémisme. This philosophy with the libertarian accents summarizes with Fay what will want . In the facts, the author plagiarized Augustin d' Hippone to divert the original direction of the remarks of them.

Rabelais and Montpellier

Rabelais left with Montpellier a true tradition: not a doctor does not leave the Medical college without to have lent oath under the " wrap of Rabelais". In the same way in the traditions coeds such as the Faluche, the homage has Rabelais is always present.

Today, it is under the shade of a micocoulier that it prélasse itself. The Botanical garden of Montpellier immortalisé it, its statue taking care on the hundreds of species of the field.

Principal works

Pantagruel (the horrible ones and terrible facts and prowesses of the very famous Pantagruel giant) (1532)
Gargantua (very horrific life of large Gargantua, father of Pantagruel, wire of Grandgousier) (1534)
the Third Delivers (1546)
the Quarter Delivers (1552)
the Fifth Book (1564, posthumous; its paternity is not any more questioned since the edition of the Pleiad, is directed by Mireille Huchon in 1994)
Pantagrueline Prognostication and other almanacs
Œuvres… New edition where one added historical and critical remarks on all the work. Amsterdam, Bordesius, 1711. 6 volumes in 5 volumes. It is the first edition critical and with accompanying notes of Rabelais; it was published by Duchat with the collaboration of Monnoye.

See too

Random links: