The Legend of the Giants

Author: [French] Rabelais/[French] Durey Illustrated/[Chinese] Guo Sufang Edited
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-02-01
Features: The miraculous deeds of the giant king Gargantua and his son Pantagruel! The Utopian socialist ideal, a unique symphony of languages! A political satire novel based on folk tales! A great work once banned! Gargantua and Pantagruel is a magnificent masterpiece of humanism that celebrates humanity and extols human nature. It criticizes the feudal society of 16th-century France, serving as a roar of the emerging bourgeoisie against the feudal church's rule and fully reflects the humanists' affirmation of people, human nature, and human creativity. In the novel, Rabelais mercilessly criticizes the hypocrisy and cruelty of the church, especially condemning the scholastic education that poisons children with Catholicism. The novel proposes the slogan "Act according to one's will," embodying the author's humanist ideals and fully reflecting the aspirations and demands of the emerging bourgeoisie. The book portrays powerful, knowledgeable, magnanimous, and peace-loving giants like Gargantua and Pantagruel, reflecting the author's praise for the emerging class during the Renaissance. This book swept away the artificial style of noble literature, bringing a vibrant, life-like, and accessible fresh breeze to the literary scene of the time.