Book dossier

Gargantua et Pantagruel

by François Rabelais

This is the third book (hence "Tiers Livre") of François Rabelais's satirical masterpiece usually called *Gargantua et Pantagruel.* Pantagurel's sidekick and servant, Panurge ("trickster" in Greek), is trying to decide if he should get married--he wants sons, but he is terrified that a wife might beat, rob, and cuckold him. He, Pantagruel, and Pantagruel's other followers consult a range of supposed "experts" from magicians to lawyers and Panurge refuses to accept either that yes, he'll probably get cuckolded, or that in life you need to decide what you want, take a chance and risk being wrong. This brilliant and profound--and very funny--book has religious significance in an age of painful religious choice and of course relevance to all human relations. How to have a good wife? Panurge is told that being a good husband is probably the best way, but he will have none of that. One of the world's great classics.