A Companion to Francois Rabelais

Reviews / Votes

From the Bainton Prize committee's report:

"This exemplary reference work provides a comprehensive, clearly structured, and well-written collection of essays that answer convincingly the introduction's title, "Why Read Rabelais Now?" Indeed, the volume is a celebration of Rabelaisian proportions, conveying a sense of the subject's wit and playfulness in the essays themselves. Additionally it provides access to the research of key scholars who typically do not write in English. (Marian Rothstein, who translated many of the essays, merits special recognition for her efforts in making this a highly readable work.) The introduction makes a strong case for Rabelais' enduring appeal and contemporary relevance. The three-part structure of the volume facilitates its use as a reference book with Part 1 focusing on many crucial literary and historical contexts (covering topics including - and going beyond - medicine, religion, politics, folklore, theatre, and reception); Part 2 incorporates major readings of each of the five books of the Pantagrueline Chronicles; and Part 3 moves into traditions of print and material culture, satire, humor, and translation. The contributors reflect an open-ended critical approach by stressing newer traditions of polysemy. The essays exemplify the erudition of the authors who write with a light touch and delight in language (their own and Rabelais'), capturing the spirit of Rabelais' literary achievement and humanist obsessions with language itself. It functions as a literary and cultural history that fully situates Rabelais within the sixteenth century, encouraging readers to (re-)engage with the works of an author who is notoriously obscure if read out of context and often neglected outside of France." - Prize committee: Amanda Eurich (Western Washington University), Timothy Fehler (Furman University), and Elisabeth Chaghafi (University of Tuebingen).



"There really is not a volume of this type available in English, one that covers so many key topics at length. [...] This lengthy collection [...] contains 21 extremely substantial and comprehensive contributions, each offering coverage of one key element of the Rabelaisian corpus. [...] The essays are without exception helpful, broad-based, and deeply scholarly. [...] These are 21 scholarly masters at work. The pieces will likely serve beginners new to Rabelais as well as more experienced readers who might want to "brush up" on the texts or to have innumerable elements of a given topic all in one place for easy access. I would imagine that the essays might also serve particularly well graduate students reading Rabelais for the first time. [...] A Companion to Francois Rabelais offers an indispensable collection for use by Anglophone scholars, graduate students, and talented undergraduate students. [...] The volume will also undoubtedly help non-specialist instructors teaching the author. [...] Excellent volume." - Todd W. Reeser, University of Pittsburgh, in: Erasmus Studies, Vol. 43, No. 1 (2023), pp. 100-102.

"The Companion's utility is abundantly clear, and for a variety of contexts: the classroom, an MA student armed with a reading list, scholars both new and advanced. [...] English translations are provided for any French citations. There is a substantial bibliography and separate indexes for cited primary and secondary sources. Some essays were translated from French, and very fluidly so." - Stacey E. Battis, Rhodes College, in: Renaissance Quarterly, Vol. 76, No. 3 (Fall 2023), pp. 1204-1205