Gargantua 2: religion and reform

Plan of lecture

Old-style religion: the Sorbonne and Janotus de Bragmardo

Monks: the siege of Seuillé and its aftermath (Gargantua, chs 25/27 and 38-39 / 39 – 40 Monkish traits The example of Frère Jean Evangelical / Protestant theology with respect to

monasticism Pilgrimages (Gargantua, chs 36/38 and 43/45)

Gargantua eats 6 pilgrims – giant humour Parody of Psalm 124

Religious freedom: Erasmus and radical folly

The trip to Paris

The Sorbonne at the time of Rabelais All teaching done in Latin Faculties:

Theology Law Medicine Arts

Anti-innovation; debate stultified; anti-humanist

The Collège royal

Founded by the humanist Guillaume Budé – 1530

6 lecteurs royaux in Greek Hebrew Maths Latin (eloquence)

A climate of tension

1533 – Noel Beda (Principal of Faculty of Theology, Sorbonne, banished for sedition)

1533 – Sorbonne ban the Miroir de l’âme pécheresse by Marguerite de Navarre (sister of François 1er).

(1534 – L’Affaire des Placards)

Giant humour: the theft of the bells

‘Les compissa si aigrement qu’il en noya deux cens soixante mille quatre cens dix et huyt sans les femmes et petiz enfans.’

Parody: ‘And those who ate were about five thousand

men, besides women and children’ Matt 14: 21 ‘Elles [les cloches] serviroient bien de

campanes au coul de sa jument…’

Satire of Janotus chs 19 - 20

parody – scholastic vocabulary Nos faciemus bonum cherubin (nous faisons

bonne chère) Vultis etiam pardonos – pardons /

indulgences Chlochidonnaminor nobis Parisius habet clochas. Ergo gluc. […] s’il ne vous faict tous vifz brusler comme

bougres traistres, hereticques et seducteurs’

A point of comparison?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PubPWuEQp8

Also see: Dorothy Coleman, Rabelais, pp. 105 -109 M A Screech, Rabelais, pp. 150 - 162

Monkish traits

http://digital.library.villanova.edu/Image%20Collection/ImageCollection-00114.xml

Vows: Poverty Obedience Chastity

Role: To intercede for the

world through prayer

The Monks of Seuillé: defensive actionMonks’ response

Prayers to saints Processions Chants Auricular confession

Weaknesses displayed

Cowardly Ineffective Ignorant

(see Gargantua’s response : chs 38/40)

Frère Jean’s characteristics (ch 25/27) Benedictine monk Thin and amorous Big nose (drinks too much) Gallops through his offices (prayers, masses

etc) Greedy and lecherous Effective: takes action by fighting Heroic: ‘jamais Maugis, hermite, ne se porta

si vaillamment […] ‘

Plainchant

For some examples of the kind of liturgical chanting that the monks in Seuillé would be practising, click on the examples below:

Caritas pater est (Plainchant by Chant Group Psallentes)-youtube

Criticism of monks in this period

Critics of monasticism

Christian humanists: Erasmus

Evangelicals Protestants : Luther

Criticism levelled at monks Petty-minded Obsessed with rules Lack of pietyCriticism levelled at

monasticism Celibacy not superior to

matrimony Vows impossible to

keep

pilgrimages (chs 38/39 and 43/45)

The pilgrims Led by Lasdaller (‘tired

of walking…’) Prayers to Saint

Sebastien (whom they believe has sent the plague…)

Condemnation of pilgrimage:

Superstition: saints do not send plagues

Pilgrimages cause neglect of family and home

Criticism of Church by reformist Catholics

Erasmus of Rotterdam (Holbein)

- Praise of Folly (see electronic extract available here http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/main/electronicresources/extracts/fr/fr115

St Paul 1 Corinthians 1: 18

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the word of God.

Criticism of Church by reformist Catholics

François Rabelais (c. 1494 – 1553):

- Pantagruel

- Gargantua

- Le Tiers Livre

- Le Quart Livre

Criticism of Church by reformist Catholics

Marguerite de Navarre, L’Heptaméron (1559): Poking fun at monks (ie: 41, 48) Serious demonstration of abuse of power by

monks and clergy (22, 23, 72) Explicit questioning of the theology which

venerates monks and clergy (23)

Criticism of Church by reformist Catholics

Guillaume Briçonnet Bishop of Meaux Headed the Groupe de

Meaux (evangelical humanist)

Spiritual advisor to Marguerite de Navarre

Protestant reformers

Martin Luther (1483 – 1546) Justification by faith =

central tenet of Protestant theology

Protestant Reformers

Jean Calvin (1509 – 1564) Institution de la religion

chrétienne first published in French 1541

Find out more about the Reformation

A History of Christianity Reformation: The Individual Before God

Available here: http://bobnational.net/record/_pzIAjYKhy7p3iWIjIBIbIR and on the Gargantua page

Research project

The court of François 1er: art, architecture and leisure

The court of François 1er: women at court

L’Affaire des Placards

Rabelais, Erasmus and the Just War

Instructions

Groups of 4 6 minutes per group Use presentational tools

Powerpoint Prezi Poster mindmap