The Charm of Catastrophe

Published in two parts in 1548 and 1552 <i>Le Quart Livre</i> is Rabelais's last book of certain authenticity and his most difficult and mysterious work. In it Pantagruel and Panurge undertake a sea voyage and a quest for the word of the Divine Bottle but the islands they visit along the way are inhabited by strange beings whose nature and physiognomy defy natural categories.<br/><br/>Expressing the elderly writer's despair at the failure of all his dreams as a young humanist the voyage traces the last phase of the heroic quest the cycle of old age and death. It is a descent into the underworld but one that is undertaken hopefully for the <i>Quart Livre</i> continues the search for a wife and for paternity begun in the <i>Tiers Livre</i>. Ultimately all of these strivings may be associated with the writer-physician who faces misfortunes in order to cure them. In the end the <i>Quart Livre</i> affirms the healing power of wine laughter and words.