Rabelais

1 9.9

A French writer from the 1500s known for bold, funny attacks on medieval learning

proper noun
/ˈræbəleɪ/

Literature

: Rabelais

But it is the contrast between the fables of invention in Rabelais and in Swift that demands explanation more than any possible intertextual connection.
Francis Rabelais
Rabelais and His World
Rabelais and Cervantes

Examples

Here was a wit worthy of Rabelais.

Fiction book (1992)
Had he the character to be unpopular, he might have been greater than Swift, another Voltaire, a new Rabelais.

Academic text (1992)
In a more modern vein, he owned full collections of the works of Rabelais and Sir Walter Scott.

Fiction book (1990)
The irresolvable tension that Rabelais creates between Gaster's creativeness and destruction, between voracious material hunger and excremental waste, is missing from Gulliver.

Academic text (2016)
Francois Rabelais was a prominent figure in the French Renaissance, known for his satirical works.
In his time, the writings of Rabelais challenged the norms of medieval scholasticism.
Many scholars consider Rabelais's humor an important influence on French literature.

Synonyms

Francois Rabelais

vsRabelais

1 9.5

French writer and doctor known for bold, funny stories that mock old ideas

has the same meaning but uses the concise single-name form

Surface Forms

Rabelais main

Etymology

Rabelais is the name of a famous French writer, and his family name comes from old French words that suggest lively, noisy talk. A helpful way to remember him is to think of rabble or rebel, because his books are loud, funny attacks on old learning.