Picaresque Novel

Picaresque Novel, full-length fictional work, often of a satirical nature, in which the principal character is cynical and amoral (see Novel). A picaresque novel generally consists of a series of incidents or episodes in the life of the principal character arranged in chronological order but not woven into a strong plot. The form originated in Spain, the term picaresque being derived from the Spanish word picaro, “rogue”. The earliest Spanish example is Lazarillo de Tormes (1554, Lazaro of Tormes), of unknown authorship, the autobiography of a rogue who served and took advantage of many masters. The most noted of German picaresque novels is The Adventurous Simplicissimus (1669; trans. 1912) by Hans Jakob Christoph von Grimmelshausen. In France the type is best represented by The Adventures of Gil Blas of Santillane (4 vols., 1715-1735; trans. 1749) by Alain Le Sage. The earliest English picaresque novel is believed to have been The Unfortunate Traveller, or, The Life of Jack Wilton (1594) by Thomas Nashe. The picaresque novel was particularly popular in England in the 18th century. Among the best examples of this period are The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders (1722), by Daniel Defoe, and The Adventures of Roderick Random (1748) and The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle (1751), both by Tobias Smollett.

The picaresque tradition can be said to be carried on in many modern episodic novels chronicling the adventures of wily, unscrupulous characters.