Religion

One of the most important themes in Gargantua and Pantagruel by Francoye Rabelais is that of religion. Religion is explored in many ways, both through positive examples and satiric means. In the first chapter of "Pantagruel", Pantagruel's genealogy is listed in a form echoing the Old Testament of the Bible. In chapter eight, Gargantua writes Pantagruel in Paris about religion and virtue. Chapter eighteen acts as a mock-heroic tale which echoes the style of chivalrous romances with a context of faith in the Christian God. Chapter twenty depicts a resurrection which is common in medieval tales, as well as a descent into Hell as is frequently seen in religious stories, and in chapter twenty-one, Rabelais mocks the New Testament practice of only counting the adult males in a large population. In Pantagrueline Prognostication for 1533, chapter one claims God the Creator is the only governor of the entire world...