Re-Reading Folly: Rabelais’s Praise of Triboullet

Rabelais's praise of Triboullet differs from earlier works on folly by using the fool's differing perspective to conduct its search for authentic meaning. The descriptions of the sage mondain and the divine fool initiate the process, establishing folly and wisdom as relative terms, whose meaning is determined by shifting perspectives. In the praise of Triboullet, Pantagruel's and Panurge's differing referential frames are embodied by parallel columns of epithets. While each list's internal coherence and its relation to the other is guaranteed by analogy, they use difference to generate new epithets, constantly moving from the known to the unknown. Finally, the text's unconventional configuration forces readers as well to adopt a detached perspective, actively engaging them in the pursuit of meaning