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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. According to Bakhtin, what is the function of art?

2. Bakhtin considers "thrashing" ambivalent, rather than strictly negative, because:

3. The episode in which Pantagruel and his companions defeat King Anarchus' knights combines:

4. How does Bakhtin interpret the relevance of the cries of Paris to Renaissance France?

5. The verbal interactions between the Renaissance marketplace hawker and the crowd were above all:

Short Essay Questions

1. What do Bakhtin's examples of Rabelais' tales of extraordinary urination have in common?

2. Describe the Renaissance student writings.

3. How is Bakhtin's book "double-voiced," as Michael Holquist asserts it is?

4. Describe Friar John.

5. How does Bakhtin get around the prohibition of certain kinds of satire and irony in his own time?

6. What is Bakhtin's general idea about the purpose of art?

7. Describe the Catchpoles and what they symbolize.

8. How does Rabelais describe the human body in the context of grotesque realism?

9. What was the general perception of laughter in the Renaissance?

10. What does Bakhtin mean when he argues that laughter affirms the people's unofficial truth?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Explore Bakhtin's study of language in Rabelais. What is "vernacular" or "colloquial" language? How is it different from "official" languages, like that of the Church or of the monarchy? How is verbal communication different from written communication, and who or what does each type of communication serve? How does Rabelais keep his language lively and never dull? How does Rabelais transform names, nicknames, proper nouns, and all other forms of speech?

Essay Topic 2

What is significant about the marketplace in the Renaissance? What is its relation to folk culture? How are social relationships conducted in the environment of the marketplace? How are the "street cries" significant aspects of folk culture? What other "unofficial" elements of communication, social commentary, and social interaction are especially prevalent in the marketplace? Are there any carnivalesque elements of the marketplace?

Essay Topic 3

Choose three main characters from Rabelais' novel and explain the meanings of their names (for example, Gargantua, Pantagruel, Panurge, King Anarchus, Friar John, Lord Basche, etc.) Discuss any connotations their names may have, any allusions to people, places, historical events, or mythology, and what their names represent in the context of carnivalesque folk culture.

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