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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. In Rabelais' novel, the words "to die" are closely associated with:

2. From what does Panurge suggest the protective walls of Paris be built?

3. Bakhtin asserts that Rabelais' language, and the language of Renaissance France, was above all:

4. Bakhtin defines Rabelais' giants as:

5. What did the word "pantagruel" colloquially mean in the Renaissance?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does Rabelais respond to the geographical changes of his own time and world?

2. What was "prandial libertinism"?

3. What is the significance of the figure of the androgyne in Rabelais' novel?

4. Why are eating and drinking two of the most important manifestations of the grotesque body?

5. What did the Medieval stage resemble?

6. Briefly describe the two opposing lines of thought in the "querelle des femmes."

7. Why is the "Hippocratic Anthology" significant to Rabelais' work?

8. How does Rabelais construct the episode of Epistemon's resurrection and of his visions in the underworld?

9. How do the Medieval and Renaissance pictures of the cosmos differ?

10. What is "cosmic fear," and how is it treated in Renaissance folk culture?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Choose three main characters from Rabelais' novel and explain the meanings of their names (for example, Gargantua, Pantagruel, Panurge, King Anarchus, Friar John, Lord Basche, etc.) Discuss any connotations their names may have, any allusions to people, places, historical events, or mythology, and what their names represent in the context of carnivalesque folk culture.

Essay Topic 2

How does Rabelais use myth in his work? What types of myth does he draw from (classical, popular, spiritual, etc.)? How are allusions to mythology a part of carnivalesque culture? Cite at least three specific examples of identifiable myths which Rabelais alludes to, alters, parodies, travesties, or repeats.

Essay Topic 3

Explore Bakhtin's study of language in Rabelais. What is "vernacular" or "colloquial" language? How is it different from "official" languages, like that of the Church or of the monarchy? How is verbal communication different from written communication, and who or what does each type of communication serve? How does Rabelais keep his language lively and never dull? How does Rabelais transform names, nicknames, proper nouns, and all other forms of speech?

(see the answer keys)

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