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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. In which twentieth-century movement was the grotesque especially evident?

2. In the folklore and grotesque realism of Rabelais' works, excrement represents bodies and matter that are:

3. What are the "Catchpoles" of which Rabelais writes?

4. What in particular forms the basic elements of Rabelais' novel _Gargantua_?

5. Curses in Renaissance folk culture tended to focus most closely upon the victim's:

Short Essay Questions

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

2. Why does Bakhtin state that in Rabelais' novel everyday kitchen implements and foods have an intrinsic value?

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

4. Why do modern readers find it difficult to read Rabelais' novel?

5. What was the effect of the suspension of social hierarchies during Carnival?

6. What was the "feast of fools," and why was it a particularly festive laughter in the Middle Ages?

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

8. Describe the Catchpoles and what they symbolize.

9. In general, what happened to the use of humor in literature after Rabelais' time?

10. What is important about the figure of the physician in Rabelais' novel?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What role or roles do banquet images play in Rabelais' novel? How are they connected to popular-festive forms? How does Bakhtin interpret the material body in Rabelais' banquet imagery? How do banquets, eating, and drinking express folk culture? Refer to examples from the text.

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the nature of Medieval and Renaissance popular dramatic forms. On what occasions were performances held? What genre were these performances, and what was their common subject matter? What does Bakhtin mean when he asserts that such performances had no "footlights"? Citing examples from the text, explore the theme of universalism in these dramas.

Essay Topic 3

Describe how Rabelais uses Friar John as a representative of the Catholic Church. How does he describe Friar John? What situations does Rabelais put Friar John into, and how does the Friar behave? What might these situations and characterization say about the Church? How do official and unofficial modes of speech and communication work with Friar John? Does he represent the carnivalesque, the grotesque, or popular festivity in anything he says or does?

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