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Three Good Giants

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As I went on, it did not take me long to discover that it was quite possible for my purpose—following, indeed, the path unconsciously taken in my boyhood—to divide Rabelais sharply into incident and philosophy. That this had not been thought of before surprised, but did not daunt me. I said to myself: I shall limit the incident strictly to his three Giants; I shall hold these, from grandfather to grandson, well together; keep all that is sound in them; cut away the impurity which is not so much of as around them; chisel them out as a sculptor might, and leave his philosophy with face to the wall. This done, I turned the scouring hose, full and strong, upon the incidents themselves, clearing out both dialectics and profanity thoroughly. I did not stop until I had left the famous trio, Grandgousier, Gargantua, and Pantagruel where I had, from the first, hoped to place them,—high and dry above the scum which had so long clogged their rare good-fellowship, and which had made men of judgment blind to the genuine worth that was in them.

In this way I believed that I saw the chance to free Rabelais' Giants, so long kept in bonds, from a captivity which has dishonored them. To do this was clearly running against that good old law which has invariably made all Giants—far back from fairy-time—thunder-voiced, great-toothed, rude-handed, hard-hearted, bloody-minded creatures and truculent captors, never, on any account, pitiful captives. But, to such, the Rabelaisian Giants are none of kin. No more are they of blood to that Giant that Jack slew, or that Giant Despair, in whose garden-court Bunyan dreamt that he saw the white bones of slaughtered pilgrims. - Summary by From the preface (6 hr 16 min)

Chapters

An Explanation by Way of Preface

10:05

Read by Ehsan Ahmed Mehedi

Chapter I (1) How the First Giants came into the World.

7:43

Read by Bill Mosley

Chapter II (2) Gargantua is Born.

6:47

Read by ancientdude

Chapter III (3) Gargantua as a Baby.

4:24

Read by Duncan Whipple

Chapter IV (4) The Royal Tailor's Bill for Gargantua's Suit.

3:26

Read by Rachel Tevis

Chapter V (5) The Year Gargantua had Wooden Horses, and what Use he made of the…

7:39

Read by Rachel Tevis

Chapter VI (6) How Gargantua was taught Latin.

7:05

Read by Rachel Tevis

Chapter VII (7) The new Master found for Gargantua.

5:26

Read by littlemissclumsy

Chapter VIII (8) Gargantua goes to Paris, and the Big Mare that takes him there.

5:52

Read by littlemissclumsy

Chapter IX (9) The Parisians laugh at Gargantua. He takes his Revenge by steali…

6:35

Read by Rachel Tevis

Chapter X (10) Ponocrates, the new Teacher, desires Gargantua to show him how h…

5:20

Read by Rachel Tevis

Chapter XI (11) The Two Hundred and Fifteen Games of Cards Gargantua knew how t…

5:55

Read by Rachel Tevis

Chapter XII (12) Gargantua is dosed by Ponocrates, and forgets all that Holofer…

7:54

Read by littlemissclumsy

Chapter XIII (13) How Gargantua was made not to lose one Hour of the Day.

9:16

Read by Avis Venning

Chapter XIV (14) How the Awful War between the Bunmakers of Lerne and Gargantua…

13:53

Read by Avis Venning

Chapter XV (15) How old King Grandgousier received the News.

6:27

Read by Avis Venning

Chapter XVI (16) How Grandgousier tried to buy Peace with Five Cart-loads of Bu…

6:48

Read by Avis Venning

Chapter XVII (17) How Gargantua, with a Big Tree, broke down a Castle, and pass…

10:22

Read by Avis Venning

Chapter XVIII (18) How Gargantua combed Cannon-Balls out of his Hair, and how h…

9:17

Read by Rachel Tevis

Chapter XIX (19) How Friar John comes to the Feast, and how King Grandgousier h…

8:32

Read by Aaron Zimmerman

Chapter XX (20) Gargantua's Mare scores a Victory.

8:44

Read by Aaron Zimmerman

Chapter XXI (21) Showing what Gargantua did after the Battle, and how Grandgous…

12:30

Read by Avis Venning

Chapter XXII (22) Grandgousier's Death. Gargantua's Marriage. Pantagruel is Bor…

9:49

Read by Avis Venning

Chapter XXIII (23) The Strange Things Pantagruel did as a Baby.

10:13

Read by Avis Venning

Chapter XXIV (24) After studying at several Universities, Pantagruel goes to Pa…

9:21

Read by czandra

Chapter XXV (25) Pantagruel finds Panurge, whom he loves all his life.

7:40

Read by Avis Venning

Chapter XXVI (26) Pantagruel beats the Sorbonne in Argument, and Panurge proves…

14:34

Read by Avis Venning

Chapter XXVII (27) What sort of Man Panurge was, and the many Tricks he knew.

8:33

Read by Aaron Zimmerman

Chapter XXVIII (28) Showing why the Leagues are so much shorter in France than …

8:04

Read by Aaron Zimmerman

Chapter XXIX (29) How the Cunning of Panurge, with the Aid of Eusthenes and Car…

10:36

Read by Kathleen Congdon

Chapter XXX (30) How Carpalim went hunting for Fresh Meat, and how a Trophy was…

7:40

Read by Gila Labinger Freeberg

Chapter XXXI (31) The Strange Way in which Pantagruel obtained a Victory over t…

9:40

Read by Kathleen Congdon

Chapter XXXII (32) The Wonderful Way in which Pantagruel disposed of the Giant …

12:19

Read by Avis Venning

Chapter XXXIII (33) How Pantagruel finally conquers the Thirsty People, and the…

8:15

Read by Avis Venning

Chapter XXXIV (34) Gargantua comes back from Fairy-land, after which Pantagruel…

3:36

Read by twomustangs

Chapter XXXV (35) Pantagruel starts on his Travels, and lands at the Island of …

9:08

Read by DGKemp

Chapter XXXVI (36) Panurge bargains with Dindeno for a Ram, and throws his Ram …

11:35

Read by Marie Christian

Chapter XXXVII (37) The Island of Alliances.

5:07

Read by czandra

Chapter XXXVIII (38) How Pantagruel came to the Islands of Tohu and Bohu. The S…

8:00

Read by littlemissclumsy

Chapter XXXIX (39) A Great Storm, in which Panurge plays the Coward.

9:42

Read by Gila Labinger Freeberg

Chapter XL (40) The Island of the Macreons and its Forest, in which the Heroes …

9:49

Read by Gila Labinger Freeberg

Chapter XLI (41) Pantagruel touches at the Wonderful Island of Ruach, where Gia…

9:30

Read by Aaron Zimmerman

Chapter XLII (42) Pantagruel, with his Darts, kills a Monster which Cannon-Ball…

9:22

Read by Cbteddy

Chapter XLIII (43) Which tells of several Islands, and the Wonderful People who…

14:23

Read by Cbteddy