PARODY AND IRONY IN THE GENEALOGY OF GARGANTUA AND PANTAGRUEL

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to present the reason for the existence of the genealogical list in F. Rabelais’s novel “Gargantua and Pantagruel”. The approach is directly referencing M. Foucault's ideas of historicism and genealogy. This research focuses on the family tree in the second volume, first chapter in the novel “Gargantua and Pantagruel”, titled “The Origin and Antiquity of the Family of the Great Pantagruel”. The characters in the list are presented through multiple intertextual connections in order to gain a comprehensive understanding of the parodied and ironized characters. The paper does not aim at a complete analysis of the genealogical list, but at outlining trends in the listed images. Both literary and religious texts are used.