J. C. Scharl at Joie de Vivre:
To try to understand the whole of Rabelais or his writing is the work of a lifetime—I am not sure if Rabelais himself would think such a lifetime well spent—but even a passing acquaintance with this odd fellow is certainly worthwhile. There is a mystery here, of the finest vintage; every time I pick up the blue brick called Gargantua and Pantagruel, I find myself asking, in the midst of chuckles, how can something so stupid have turned literature upside down? Why does this book matter at all?
It really is stupid, too. It’s a thousand pages of poop jokes, fart jokes, drunk jokes, blood-and-bruises jokes, sex jokes, burp jokes, spliced together with politics-and-religion jokes and lots of Latin puns that seem erudite today but would have been more accessible to Rabelais’ 16th-century audience. I cannot think of a single sentence in it that could be read aloud at the dinner table. It’s difficult even to find a quotation because the sentences are so long and elaborate.
more here.