{"product_id":"9780807892718","title":"The Charm of Catastrophe: A Study of Rabelais's Quart Livre (RLS 267)","description":"\u003cp\u003ePublished in two parts in 1548 and 1552, \u003ci\u003eLe Quart Livre\u003c\/i\u003e 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. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExpressing 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 \u003ci\u003eQuart Livre\u003c\/i\u003e continues the search for a wife and for paternity begun in the \u003ci\u003eTiers Livre\u003c\/i\u003e. Ultimately, all of these strivings may be associated with the writer-physician who faces misfortunes in order to cure them. In the end, the \u003ci\u003eQuart Livre\u003c\/i\u003e affirms the healing power of wine, laughter, and words.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of Romance Studies","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47031024713968,"sku":"9780807892718","price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780807892718_p0.jpg?v=1763739328","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780807892718","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}