The Rabelais Encyclopedia

The Rabelais Encyclopedia
by Elizabeth Chesney Zegura (Editor)

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Review
Zegura's encyclopedia condenses and organizes the vast critical literature about Rabelais' work and time. The encyclopedia is carefully constructed, clearly written, and well edited. More than 70 researchers around the world--established Rabelais scholars to newcomers--contribute articles of varying length on the characters, episodes, literary and philosophical movements, and political and religious figures of the time and the period's cultural manifestations in art, architecture, music, and printing. They also write concise introductions to some of the critical perspectives and methodologies scholars have used in approaching Rabelais' work....Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and higher.Choice

Specialty college-level holdings on French literature or Renaissance history will find The Rabelais Encyclopedia a specialized yet important addition, providing in-depth coverage of five books written between 1532 and 1553 which rivaled the works of Shakespeare in their time. Rabelais is read in numerous courses on French literature and Renaissance history, so this will prove indispensable for such a collection.Internet Bookwatch

Product Description
The French humanist Rabelais (ca. 1483-1553) was the greatest French writer of the Renaissance and one of the most influential authors of all time. His Gargantua and Pantagruel, written in five books between 1532 and 1553, rivals the works of Shakespeare and Cervantes in terms of artistry, complexity of ideas and expression, and historical importance. Rabelais is read in numerous courses in French Literature, Renaissance Studies, and Western Civilization, and his writings continue to attract the attention of scholars and general readers alike. The first work of its kind, this encyclopedia is a comprehensive guide to his life and writings. Included are several hundred alphabetically arranged entries by expert contributors. These entries discuss his characters, his overt and veiled references to historical and Renaissance figures and events, his literary and philosophical allusions, his major themes, and the key events and influences that shaped his career. The entries cover such topics as education, religion, censors and censorship, humanism, death, and warfare. Entries cite works for further reading, and the encyclopedia closes with a selected, general bibliography.

About the Author
ELIZABETH CHESNEY ZEGURA is Associate Professor of French and Italian at the University of Arizona. Her previous books include The Countervoyage of Rabelais and Ariosto (1982) and Rabelais Revisited (1993).