Early modern fortification transformations in Rabelais

The theme of war holds a prominent position in Gargantua, Pantagruel, the Tiers Livre and the Quart Livre, yet related research remains relatively underdeveloped. Existing scholarship has largely focused on explicit war narratives such as the war between Gargantua and Picrochole and Pantagruel’s expedition against the Dipsodes; however, few have explored the nuanced description of the Corinthians preparing their defences in the author’s prologue of the Tiers Livre. In fact, this passage systematically presents the specific details of the transformations of early modern fortifications. This study first traces the multiple sources of Rabelais’ knowledge of fortifications, revealing the origins of his military expertise, which surpassed that of his contemporary humanists. Then, through close reading and historical contextual analysis, this study further demonstrates that Rabelais’s description of the Corinthians’ fortifications meticulously records the core components of the early modern bastion system – encompassing both main body and auxiliary facilities – and accurately delineates the technical landscape of the transformations in fortification design during that period. Research indicates that the Corinthian fortifications document an ongoing paradigm shift in defence, providing us with unique literary evidence for understanding the transformations of early modern Western European fortifications.