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Lesson 1 (from Book 1, Rabelais & His World : Chapter 1, Foreward)

Objective

Part 1: Foreword and Prologue

The authors of the Foreword and of the Prologue both emphasize Mikhail Bakhtin's subtle relation of Rabelais' world to his own. Is it possible to read Bakhtin's book without connecting it to the author's own biography or cultural/historical context? This lesson will be about placing _Rabelais and His World_ in the context of Bakhtin's Russia.

Lesson

1. Lecture: Introduce the book by giving a brief biographical history of the author. Where and when was Bakhtin born? What was his life like? Discuss the history of the Russian Revolution. Bring attention to the publishing history of _Rabelais and His World_ presented in the Prologue.

2. Short writing assignment: Make a list of those aspects of Bakhtin and Rabelais which the Foreword and Prologue indicate make them similar to one another. These aspects may include the following: each writer's own biography; the spirit of the...

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