Quote: "...il y a dans vos propos...tant de si et de mais, que je ne puis rien y distinguer ni rien en résoudre. N'êtes vous pas sûr de ce que vous voulez? Si nous en tenons bien le principal, tout le reste est fortuit et dépend des fatales dispositions du ciel."
Synopsis:
L'Abbaye de Thélème: Gargantua offers several different abbeys to the monk Frère Jean des Entommeures but he rejects them all, instead wishing to build his own from scratch. They then go into detail of every particular of how they want this new abbey to be: no clocks, women will be allowed, monks can marry and be rich and live how they choose. They also go into great detail as to the architechture, design, decorations, and furniture of the abbey, and the clothing to be worn inside. The men and women can do whatever they want, whenever they want, and are all literate and well-educated.
Panurge se mariera-t-il?: Panurge, the companion of Pantagruel (who is the son of Gargantua) is contemplating marriage and wants Pantagruel's advice. Pantagruel does not advise him one way or the other, however, instead telling Panurge to get married after he lists a benefit of marriage, and then telling him not to get married when he lists a problem that can arise from marriage. Panurge thinks Pantagruel is mocking him, but indeed he is only laughing because he thinks all these considerations are irrelevant. In the end, he tells Panurge, you have to do what you want and the rest is up to fate.
Reader's Response: I definitely had no idea why, in L'Abbaye de Thélème, they went on for so long about the interior design and outfits that they want to use in their abbey, but the rest of it was pretty interesting commentary on what they thought was wrong with medieval abbeys. Medieval abbeys prized celibacy, poverty, and obedience, but Rabelais' characters clearly thought those things had little to do with how devoted or pious someone can be.
I found Panurge se mariera-t-il? fairly amusing because Panurge was, in effect, making a pro-con list about marriage, and not many people would handle such a big decision in that way. I, myself, have used pro-con lists to make important decisions in my life, but I think Pantagruel is right that a decision of that nature must be made based on the desires of your heart and mind. You can't expect to control every minute detail of the outcome of a decision you make.
5 comments:
Panurge was my favorite story of this section. It was funny and enjoyable to read. I got the feeling that Pantagruel was saying you are going to get what you think you are going to get. If he thinks his marriage will be good for him then it will, if he thinks the problems will be too hard then they will be. I liked the thought that you kind of just have to do it. Like Valerie said I found the Abbaye story boring and long when they went into so much detail. I did like the part where they talked about how the walls around the abbey keep bad things hidden inside rather then keeping bad things out. At least...that's what I thought it was saying. Ha
Gargantua's flight of fantasy for the utopian-like abbey he wishes to build, is a thinly disguised jab at the Christian institutions of the day. How marvelous that Rabelais felt so comfortable mocking these institutions that for so long were protected by society. (Can you see Hogwart's in this description?)
As for Panurge's question, it certainly is a big one. Pantagruel recognizes the risk and compares it to rolling a die. Once the die is cast, he recommends, you make the best of it. I must say, that Rabelais presents this little consultation with such ease that I can't help but imagine this in some theatrical production with many asides to the audience from the two actors on the stage. We, the audience/readers, understand the exasperation on both sides. The ridiculousness of the back and forth match keeps us in stitches.
I really liked "Panurge se mariera-t-il?". It's funny to read the concerns that Panurge has. They're some of the same concerns that lot's of people have even today about marriage. Pantagruel lets him 'wrestle' with his own opinions, and never really says what he really thinks he should do. Panurge is a lot like us when you think about it. He wants an easy answer to his questions.
After reading l'Abbaye de Theleme, I felt like it was all fantasy. I said so because of how want to design it and what can and nannot go inside without going into the details. As far as Panurge se mariera-t-il?, I like the story and really enjoyed reading it. Marriage is certainly an important decision and it makes you wander if you're going to marry the right person. I like how Pantagruel challenged Panurge with the benefits of marriage and its concerns.
Both readings were very interesting and enjoyable to read. I loved the way L'Abbaye de Theleme broke through the box of thinking. It gave its readers a chance to see things from a different view and realize that things maybe needed to be changed.
The other story was funny to me because the dialog between the two was so close to the truth. When we have big decisions to make, often times we want others to make them for us. In the end we have to figure it out on our own. I love how Pantagruel handled the situation.
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