Rating: 
Summary: so clever? so what...
Review: Rabelais is much heralded for his skewering of the rich and powerful. Frankly he does not measure up to Thomas More, Machiavelli, Erasmus or Castiglione or their writings. Some may find his works clever or cute, they may certainly rattle pre-conceptions of the stiffness of the era. As for me, it lacked wit and was mostly just crude, which some find to be groundbreaking but in fact crudeness has existed through out the ages.
Rating:
Summary: so clever? so what...
Review: Rabelais is much heralded for his skewering of the rich and powerful. Frankly he does not measure up to Thomas More, Machiavelli, Erasmus or Castiglione or their writings. Some may find his works clever or cute, they may certainly rattle pre-conceptions of the stiffness of the era. As for me, it lacked wit and was mostly just crude, which some find to be groundbreaking but in fact crudeness has existed through out the ages.
Rating: 
Summary: To all my poxy boozers ...
Review: Raffel has done it: the best translation in English, bar none. Jaw-droppingly clever, frequently hilarious, this is the one to read and savor over every scatalogical, satirical line. Get introduced to the great-godfather of the popular comic fantasy writer Terry Pratchett, today! Drags a bit in the second half, but doesn't everything/everybody? And read Raffel's DON QUIXOTE while you're at it.
Rating: 
Summary: THE BOMB!
Review: scatalogical psychosexual surrealism mixed with astute social satire. this is one of the best books i've ever read.
Rating:
Summary: It's all about the Bottle...
Review: Some years ago I read a quote by Rabelais -- something about whether a chimera bombinating in a vacuum could devour second intentions -- and I sensed that his humor might appeal to me. "Gargantua and Pantagruel," his literary landmark and the source of that quote, is a virtual encyclopedia of Renaissance satire that contrives a heroic epic as a backdrop for a comprehensive commentary of medieval and classical history and mythology. The story, which concerns the adventures of the giant Gargantua, his son Pantagruel, and Pantagruel's friend Panurge, is completely silly; just scan the chapter titles in the table of contents for an indication. Silly, but not stupid: Rabelais is a serious scholar who has written a book that is not intended to be taken seriously. An epicure with an insatiable appetite for learning and a fascination with bodily functions, he believes that wine, scatology, and the pursuit of knowledge are inseparable. The book is all codpieces, urination, defecation, and flatulence at the service of satirizing the pedantry in the medical, legal, ecclesiastical, and academic professions as they existed in the sixteenth century. It should be noted that Rabelais's satire is generally playful and cheerful rather than bitter and mean-spirited, so the book's tone is always light even if its content is very erudite. The plot, such as it is, is episodic rather than unified. Gargantua defends his country, Utopia, from invasion by King Picrochole of Lerne, in a war started by an argument between Utopian shepherds and Lernean cake-bakers; Pantagruel and Panurge then defend Utopia from invasion by Anarch, King of the Dipsodes; Panurge conducts inquiries among a variety of experts on whether or not he should get married, which leads to several discussions about cuckoldry, impotence, and cuckoldry as a consequence of impotence; and Pantagruel and Panurge, along with their monkish friend Friar John and several cohorts, embark on a sea voyage to consult the oracle of the Temple of the Bottle, visiting many strange islands and encountering many bizarre creatures along the way. As mentioned, it is of course all nonsense, but it is a definite precursor to the more farcical works of Jonathan Swift, Voltaire, Lewis Carroll, and James Joyce, and for that reason it has significant value as a ribald curiosity.
Rating:
Summary: Multi-faceted laugh-a-minute and dead serious
Review: The praisers of Rabelais and this particular product he created have already expressed a lot of the truths to be found here, the exquisite style, the masterly satire. All they say is true and would be reason enough to read Gargantuan and Pentagruel. I won't repeat those laurels to affirm them. Instead, I'll suggest another reason a segment of readers might find Rabelais interesting. Followers of the Thelemic 'traditon' created by Aleister Crowley during the early 1900s might be surprised to discover Crowley's claims to having channeled the doctrine from Horus in Cairo in 1910, were preceded by Rabelais several centuries earlier. Rabelais creats an imaginary monastary and sect of monks he names, "Thelema", where a sign above the entry reads, "DO AS YOU WILL". Sound familiar? Buy this book and read on. But if you do so as an admirer of Crowley's channeling be prepared to experience a deflating of some of your balloons and butchering of a sacred cow for the barbeque.
Rating:
Summary: Multi-faceted laugh-a-minute and dead serious
Review: The praisers of Rabelais and this particular product he created have already expressed a lot of the truths to be found here, the exquisite style, the masterly satire. All they say is true and would be reason enough to read Gargantuan and Pentagruel. I won't repeat those laurels to affirm them. Instead, I'll suggest another reason a segment of readers might find Rabelais interesting. Followers of the Thelemic 'traditon' created by Aleister Crowley during the early 1900s might be surprised to discover Crowley's claims to having channeled the doctrine from Horus in Cairo in 1910, were preceded by Rabelais several centuries earlier. Rabelais creats an imaginary monastary and sect of monks he names, "Thelema", where a sign above the entry reads, "DO AS YOU WILL". Sound familiar? Buy this book and read on. But if you do so as an admirer of Crowley's channeling be prepared to experience a deflating of some of your balloons and butchering of a sacred cow for the barbeque.
Rating:
Summary: SIDE-SPLITTINGLY FUNNY READ
Review: This book is Rabelais at his best. Yes, the humor is at times crude and vulgar. Yes, the more delicate reader may find it disgusting and idiotic, but if this isn't one of the most clever books ever written, I'll be a monkey's uncle! Not unlike Robertson Davies, who mentions our potty-mouthed friend many times in his book "The Rebel Angels", Rabelais takes bathroom humour to a level you probably never thought it could reach: high comedy. I highly recommend it!
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Summary: A Book For Those Who Love Bawdy and Bathroom Humor
Review: This book is the best one I have ever read for using sexual and execretory references for effective satire. The optimal reader is probably a boy aged 8-13 who loves to explore the world from this perspective already. Older readers will enjoy the social commentary as well, but may not revel in the means of the commentary unless they like extensive references to bodily functions. The use of the humor in this book is like slapstick is to comedy, its most outrageous and least restrained form. No one can stay grumpy while reading this book. It may be the only literary solution for depression ever developed. Obviously, if you can read French, it is even better in the original. Many people will choose not to read this book because of the earthy nature of the language. That is probably a mistake, because those who make that choice are suffering from the unattractiveness stall, not seeing the swan in the ugly duckling. Earthy humor can be a great way to communicate, in the appropriate circumstances. You owe it to yourself to learn how a master, Rabelais, does it. As a tip to the reader who has more sensitive tastes, I suggest you skip through to the end of sections that are bothering you. The very next section may well be one that leaves you in uncontrolled laughter, irresistibly lightening your mood. Have a great laugh!
Rating:
Summary: The single best piece of French literature out there
Review: This book is unparalled in its accomplishment. Francois Rabelais manages to deliver a satire of incredible wit, humor, intrigue, cleverness, and subtleties, while still maintaining a literal story more captivating than any piece of contemporary literature. I give it my highest praise, and recommend it whole-heartedly for anyone interested in the Middle Ages, philosophy, religious satire, French, humor, or just a good read.
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