ENGL 1102 Lecture Notes - Masquerade Society, Sexually Transmitted Infection, Machismo
Document Summary
Perhaps one of the most noticeable aspects of gargantua and pantagruel is rabelais" seemingly distracting use of bathroom humor, with the tool for this humor being the superfluity of. Although some might argue that this type of humor is unnecessary, jeff persels argues that the historical context of urine makes its use in the book significant when analyzing. Persel"s argument begins with an analysis of idiomatic phrases at the time concerning urine. One particularly telling saying goes like this: pour veoir de leur urine, which, roughly translated, means to see what you"re made of (in the context of your urine). this adage has both societal and scientific ramifications. On the surface, the saying is almost a macho way of questioning one"s character and temperament. The majority of persel"s argument, however, is based on the accepted scientific theories of the time.
