Product Description

Intended for those interested in problems of language and text and in cultural interpretation.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #168446 in Books
• Published on: 1984-06-01
• Original language: Russian
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 512 pages

Customer Reviews

The importance of 'carnivalesque' in Renessance Literature
I found Bakhtin's claim that the tradition of the Socratic and Menippean satire found its 'rebirth', after the religious 'monologue' of the Dark Ages, in the writings of Rabelais and other Renaissance Literature quite compelling. Through a detailed analysis of Rabelais work, Bakhtin stresses the importance of popular culture in terms of ridiculing the dominant authoritative discourse and subverting hierarhies, which did not just occur during the carnival season but it usually found its expression in the popular square. There is also the concept of 'grotesque realism' which is used by Rabelais to expose the subordination of the human body and its function by the dominant ideology. In short, I recommend the book to anyone who is interested in the importance of popular satire not just in literature but in life itself.

this book changed my life
I first read Bakhtin's book on Rabelais when I was 22. At the time I was struggling to find a way to go on being a leftist, with the Berlin Wall coming crashing all around me. Bakhtin showed me how.
It is still the best introductory course on laughter and its liberating qualities. Not to be missed by anyone interested in understanding how laughter works