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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. What repressive organization was Bakhtin forced to join in order to continue writing?

2. In the Renaissance, bodily excretions were closely associated with:

3. How is the figure of the king treated in Rabelais' writing?

4. Rabelais expresses the debasement of suffering and fear by associating them with:

5. Bakhtin asserts that beatings, death, feasting, and merrymaking are all integral parts of:

Short Essay Questions

1. Describe the Renaissance student writings.

2. What was Bakhtin's relationship with the Russian Union of Writers?

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

4. How is degradation expressed, in terms of Rabelais' grotesque realism?

5. How does Bakhtin interpret the prologue of _Pantagruel_?

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

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

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

9. What is the underlying nature of all of Rabelais' images?

10. What does tripe represent, in Bakhtin's analysis?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the theme of debasement in Medieval and Renaissance folk culture. How was debasement associated with the lower stratum of the body? Who or what were targets of debasement? How was debasement or degradation accomplished? How is humor associated with debasement? What is the ambivalent nature of debasement in folk culture?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the meaning and significance of "grotesque realism." How is it manifested in Rabelais' time? How is the material body presented in the tradition of the grotesque? Why does Bakhtin connect folk culture so closely with the grotesque? Use examples from the text to support your points.

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the importance of Rabelais' own historical context to his novel. How does he allude to, reinterpret, parody/travesty, or otherwise address contemporary people, places, and events? Cite at least two examples from Bakhtin's study.

(see the answer keys)

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