Historian+and+Biographer+of+Rabelais'+Abbey

The author of “The Abbey of Theleme,” Francois Rabelais, was a very radical man who believed that humans should not be under any rules or laws. Rabelais was a Benedictine monk, a humanist, a physician, and a teacher (Encyclopedia of the Renaissance). Francois Rabelais wrote a book named //Gargantua and// //Pantagruel//, which includes his own utopia, “The Abbey of Theleme.” This Abbey was inspired by the Renaissance in 16th Century France and by the beliefs of its creator, Francois Rabelais.

Rabelais’ wrote “The Abbey of Theleme” in the sixteenth century, during the Renaissance. Rabelais describes the Abbey as a perfect utopia that has no rule or laws, only freedom. In the Abbey, men and women are equal because both genders have freedom and respect for each other. Rabelais writes that ladies should drink, walk in fields, go hawking, hunting, read, write, sing, play musical instruments, speak several languages, etc. Rabelais’ aristocratic Utopia is based on wisdom and knowledge. The residents of the Abbey do exactly what they want to do, when they want. Everything that the Thelemites do is based on their own free will. In the Abbey, women are “proper and handsome, miniard and dainty, less forward, and more ready with their hands" (The Utopia Reader). Because of these handy women, men often marry them (The Utopia Reader). In the Abbey, marriage and love last a lifetime (The Utopia Reader).

Rabelais created a utopia that is free from rule possibly because France’s government radically changed during the Renaissance. Specifically, the role of the monarch weakened, which brought the Hundred Years’ War between France and England to an end (The Renaissance). To fulfill the unity and defense of Christendom, the monarchy had existed before the Renaissance (The Renaissance). The monarchy was no longer a dream of Christian Europeans. In fact, the modern state could no longer tolerate the monarchy (The Renaissance). Therefore the Abbey of Theleme has no monarch.

Rabelais also created a utopia based on Christian values that remained important in sixteenth century Renaissance. “The Abbey of Theleme” is found in Rabelais’ books, //Gargantua and Pantagruel// (Utopia Reader). At the end of //Gargantua//, Rabelais writes that the Abbey was originally built by Gargantua (Utopia Reader). He writes that it “has no walls and no regulations and it is the most ideal environment [where] freedom and faith naturally lead to a spirit of community” (Utopia Reader). It is unknown if the Abbey “represents the values of Christian humanism and a more biblically oriented Christianity or [if it] is simply a utopian fantasy of good taste and refined epicureanism” (Utopia Reader). The confusion is finally solved once a prophetic riddle is discovered (Utopian Reader). On the foundation of the Abbey, Gargantua reads that the Abbey was of Christian truth (Utopia Reader). The first concrete evidence of Francois Rabelais’ life is found a letter written by him in 1521, after he joined the Franciscan order of the monastery at Fontenay-le-Comte (Encyclopedia of the Renaissance). His group of scholars studied classical languages and culture (Encyclopedia of the Renaissance). Rabelais was unconventional in his thinking and writings and clashed with the conservative Faculty of Theology at the University of Paris. After a while, Rabelais became interested in studying medicine (Encyclopedia of the Renaissance). Rabelais received a Bachelor of Medicine degree at the University of Paris (Encyclopedia of the Renaissance). While studying in Medical school, Rablais was inspired to produce editions of one of his texts, //Hippocrates and Galen// (Encyclopedia of the Renaissance). In the same year, Rabelais wrote //Gargantua and Pantagruel// (Encyclopedia of the Renaissance).

Francois Rablais identifies life at the Abbey as a “life spent not in laws, statutes, or rules, but according to [the residents'] own free will and pleasure” (Utopia Reader). Rablais writes that humans should “Do As Thou Wouldst." People maintained Christian values amongst the humanist movement that was taking place. Rablais' life was impacted by the Renaissance and the weakened the French monarchy. This angered Rablais, which caused him to write stories on a free community, with no government, laws, or rules.

Posted by Julian West