Donald M. Frame
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| - | :''http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Author:Fran%C3%A7ois_Rabelais'' | + | '''Donald M. Frame''' (born 1911 in [[Manhattan]] - died March 8, 1991, in [[Alexandria, Virginia|Alexandria]], [[Virginia]]), a scholar of [[French Renaissance literature]], was Moore Professor Emeritus of French at [[Columbia University]], where he labored for half a century. |
| - | '''''Gargantua and Pantagruel''''' is a [[novel sequence|connected series]] of five novels written in the [[16th century literature|16th century]] by [[François Rabelais]]. It is the story of two [[giant (mythology)|giants]], a father ([[Gargantua]]) and his son ([[Pantagruel]]) and their [[adventures]], written in an [[amusing]], [[extravagant]], [[satire|satirical]] vein. There is much [[crudity]] and [[Toilet humour|scatological humor]] as well as a large amount of [[violence]]. [[Enumeration]]s of [[vulgar]] [[insult]]s fill several chapters. | + | |
| - | ==Plot summary== | + | |
| - | ===Pantagruel=== | + | |
| - | Although most modern editions of Rabelais's work place ''[[Pantagruel]]'' as the second volume of a series, it was actually published first, around [[1532]] under the pen name ''Alcofribas Nasier'', an anagram of ''François Rabelais''. ''Pantagruel'' was a sequel to an anonymous book entitled ''Les Grandes Chroniques du Grand et Enorme Géant Gargantua.'' This early ''Gargantua'' text enjoyed great popularity, despite its rather poor construction. Rabelais's giants are not described as being of any fixed height, as in the first two books of [[Gulliver's Travels]], but vary in size from chapter to chapter to enable a series of astonishing images as though these were tall tales. For example, in one chapter Pantagruel is able to fit into a courtroom to argue a case but in another the narrator resides inside Pantagruel's mouth for 6 months and discovers an entire nation living around his teeth. | + | |
| - | ===Gargantua=== | + | ==Biography== |
| - | After the success of ''Pantagruel'', Rabelais revisited and revised his source material. He produced an improved narrative of the life and acts of Pantagruel's father in ''Gargantua''. This volume included one of the most notable parables in [[Western philosophy]]: that of the [[Abbey of Thélème]], which can either be considered a point-for-point critique of the educational practices of the age, or a call to [[free school]]ing, or all sorts of notions on human nature. | + | Donald Murdoch Frame graduated from [[Harvard University]] in [[1932]] and earned a master's and a doctorate from the [[Columbia University]], writing his dissertation on Montaigne. |
| - | ===Le Tiers-Livre=== | + | In World War II he served in the U.S. Navy. |
| - | :''[[Third Book]]'' | + | |
| - | Rabelais then returned to the story of Pantagruel himself in the last three books. The third book concerns Pantagruel and his friend [[Panurge]], who spend the entire book discussing with many people the question of whether Panurge should marry; the question is unresolved. The book ends with the start of a sea voyage in search of the oracle of the divine bottle to resolve once and for all the question of marriage. | + | |
| - | ===Le Quart-Livre=== | + | ==Personal life and views== |
| - | :''[[Le Quart Livre]]'' | + | Frame married Katherine Mailler Wygant, who died in 1972; they had two sons. In a second marriage he wed Kathleen Whelan. |
| - | The sea voyage continues for the whole of the Quart-Livre. Pantagruel encounters many exotic and strange characters and societies during this voyage, such as the Shysteroos, who make their living by charging people to beat them up. | + | |
| - | The whole book can be seen as a comical retelling of the [[Odyssey]] or - more convincingly - of the story [[Jason and the Argonauts]]. In the Quart-Livre, which has been described as his most satirical book, Rabelais criticizes what he perceived as the arrogance and wealth of the [[Roman Catholic Church]], the political figures of the time, popular superstitions and addresses several religious, political, linguistic and philosophical issues. | + | Frame's scrupulous [[scholarship]] and erudition were widely admired. On April 19, 1968, he gave a Phi Beta Kappa Lecture at [[Vassar College]] entitled "Montaigne on the Absurdity and Dignity of Man"; the title epitomizes his interpretation of the 16th-century author to whom he devoted so much of his life. |
| - | '''''Le Quart Livre''''' est un livre écrit par [[François Rabelais]] dont la version intégrale est sortie en [[1552]]. | + | ==Published work== |
| - | + | Donald Frame was a recognized authority on the works of [[Michel de Montaigne]], whose ''Complete Works'' he published in [[translation]] in [[1958]]. He also studied the works of [[François Rabelais]], and published a book-length study of the author of ''[[Gargantua]]'' and ''[[Pantagruel]]'' in [[1977]]. A translation by Frame of Rabelais's complete works was published posthumously six months after his death. | |
| - | En [[1548]], onze chapitres du ''Quart Livre'' étaient déjà sortis. Le 1 mars 1552, le livre est [[censure en France|censuré]] par les théologiens. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | ===Fifth Book=== | + | |
| - | At the end of the fifth volume, which was published posthumously around [[1564]], the divine bottle is found. The epic journey ends with Pantagruel producing a large piece of [[feces|shit]], perhaps the ultimate commentary on the subjects of politics and religion which the books satirize. | + | |
| - | + | ||
| - | Although some parts of book 5 are truly worthy of Rabelais, the last volume's attribution to him is debatable. Book five was not published until nine years after Rabelais's death and includes much material that is clearly borrowed (such as from [[Lucian]]'s ''[[True History]]'' and [[Francesco Colonna]]'s ''[[Hypnerotomachia Poliphili]]'') or of lesser quality than the previous books. In the notes to his translation of ''Gargantua and Pantegruel'', [[Donald M. Frame]] proposes that book 5 may have been formed from unfinished material that a publisher later patched together into a book. | + | |
| - | ==See also== | + | |
| - | *The five novels include mention of an immense number of [[fictional books]], some scatological and all humorous. See [[List of fictional works in Gargantua and Pantagruel]] for a complete listing. | + | |
| - | *[[Raven Tales]] | + | |
| - | *The cover of the [[Frank Zappa]] album [[The Grand Wazoo]] depicts the battle between Gargantua and Picrocole (book I, chap. LII) | + | |
| - | *The [[progressive rock]] band [[Gentle Giant]] used the Pantagruel and Panurge characters in some of their lyrics and song title | + | |
| + | Frame's translations were much admired during his own lifetime. More recent critics have been less generous. While ''The Oxford Guide to Literature in English Translation'' (2000) praises Frame's "accuracy," it also calls him "often obscure and awkward." | ||
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Donald M. Frame (born 1911 in Manhattan - died March 8, 1991, in Alexandria, Virginia), a scholar of French Renaissance literature, was Moore Professor Emeritus of French at Columbia University, where he labored for half a century.
[edit]
Biography
Donald Murdoch Frame graduated from Harvard University in 1932 and earned a master's and a doctorate from the Columbia University, writing his dissertation on Montaigne.
In World War II he served in the U.S. Navy.
[edit]
Personal life and views
Frame married Katherine Mailler Wygant, who died in 1972; they had two sons. In a second marriage he wed Kathleen Whelan.
Frame's scrupulous scholarship and erudition were widely admired. On April 19, 1968, he gave a Phi Beta Kappa Lecture at Vassar College entitled "Montaigne on the Absurdity and Dignity of Man"; the title epitomizes his interpretation of the 16th-century author to whom he devoted so much of his life.
[edit]
Published work
Donald Frame was a recognized authority on the works of Michel de Montaigne, whose Complete Works he published in translation in 1958. He also studied the works of François Rabelais, and published a book-length study of the author of Gargantua and Pantagruel in 1977. A translation by Frame of Rabelais's complete works was published posthumously six months after his death.
Frame's translations were much admired during his own lifetime. More recent critics have been less generous. While The Oxford Guide to Literature in English Translation (2000) praises Frame's "accuracy," it also calls him "often obscure and awkward."
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