Abstract: The Third and Fourth Books are full of counterfactuals. The strong presence of this type of statements indicates the changing narrative regime adopted by Rabelais in his last two romances. These present and past ‘irreals’ drive the plot beyond simple linearity, and enrich Romanesque fiction. In addition, the way in which the counterfactuals are distributed through the dialogue form of the romances becomes a way to valorize the capacities of fiction.
