Abstract:Rhinocéros reprises an episode from the Quart Livre. Free, grotesque spirits, Rabelais and Ionesco oppose their respective agelastic eras. They denounce the impostors, the stupidity of the powerful and the people and privilege the unexpected. Attacking the discourse of power that is put on stage, Rabelais announces the world of Rhinocéros where words do not tell the truth. Both authors resort to exaggeration and re-engage with the laughter of minorities. The world is a farce, a “wonderful mess.”
