The picaresque novel ( Spanish: ''picaresca'', from ''pícaro'', for "

rogue A rogue is a person or entity that flouts accepted norms of behavior. Rogue or rogues may also refer to: Companies * Rogue Ales, a microbrewery in Newport, Oregon * Rogue Arts, a film production company * Rogue Entertainment, a software com ...

" or "rascal") is a genre of

prose fiction Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include o ...

. It depicts the adventures of a roguish, but "appealing hero", usually of low

social class A social class is a grouping of people into a set of Dominance hierarchy, hierarchical social categories, the most common being the Upper class, upper, Middle class, middle and Working class, lower classes. Membership in a social class can for ...

, who lives by his wits in a corrupt society. Picaresque novels typically adopt a realistic style. There are often some elements of comedy and satire. While the term "picaresque novel" was only coined in 1810, the picaresque novel originated in

Imperial Rome The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...

during the 1st-2nd century CE, in particular with works such as the Satyricon of

Petronius Gaius Petronius Arbiter"Gaius Petronius Arbiter"
Apuleius in Roman Numidia. It would see a revival in Spain during the

Spanish Golden Age The Spanish Golden Age ( es, Siglo de Oro, links=no , "Golden Century") is a period of flourishing in arts and literature in Spain, coinciding with the political rise of the Spanish Empire under the Catholic Monarchs of Spain and the Spanish H ...

in 1554. Early Spanish contributors included

Mateo Alemán : ''Aleman is sometimes used to refer to German.'' Mateo Alemán y del Nero (September 15471615?) was a Spanish novelist and writer. Biography Alemán was born in Seville, Andalucía, where he graduated from the University in 1564. He later st ...

and Francisco de Quevedo, who were influenced in particular by Apuleius' 2nd century work. Other notable ancient influences of the modern picaresque genre include Roman playwrights such as Plautus and Terence. The Golden Ass of Apuleius nevertheless remains, according to many scholars such as F. W. Chandler, A. Marasso, T. Somerville and T. Bodenmüller, the primary influence for the modern Picaresque genre. Subsequently, after the revival in Spain, the genre flourished throughout Europe for more than 200 years for the first time since the Roman period. It continues to influence modern literature.

Defined

According to the traditional view of Thrall and Hibbard (first published in 1936), seven qualities distinguish the picaresque novel or narrative form, all or some of which an author may employ for effect: * A picaresque narrative is usually written in

first person First person or first-person may refer to: * First person (ethnic), indigenous peoples, usually used in the plural * First person, a grammatical person * First person, a gender-neutral, marital-neutral term for titles such as first lady and first ...

as an autobiographical account. * The main character is often of low character or social class. They get by with wits and rarely deign to hold a job. * There is little or no

plot Plot or Plotting may refer to: Art, media and entertainment * Plot (narrative), the story of a piece of fiction Music * ''The Plot'' (album), a 1976 album by jazz trumpeter Enrico Rava * The Plot (band), a band formed in 2003 Other * ''Plot' ...

. The story is told in a series of loosely connected adventures or episodes. * There is little if any character development in the main character. Once a pícaro, always a pícaro. Their circumstances may change but these rarely result in a change of heart. * The pícaro's story is told with a plainness of language or

realism Realism, Realistic, or Realists may refer to: In the arts *Realism (arts), the general attempt to depict subjects truthfully in different forms of the arts Arts movements related to realism include: *Classical Realism *Literary realism, a move ...

. * Satire is sometimes a prominent element. * The behavior of a picaresque protagonist stops just short of criminality. Carefree or immoral rascality positions the picaresque hero as a sympathetic outsider, untouched by the false rules of society. In the English-speaking world, the term "picaresque" is often used loosely to refer to novels that contain some elements of this genre; e.g. an episodic recounting of adventures on the road. The term is also sometimes used to describe works which only contain some of the genre's elements, such as Cervantes' '' Don Quixote'', or Charles Dickens' '' Pickwick Papers''.

Etymology

The word '' pícaro'' first starts to appear in Spain with the current meaning in 1545, though at the time it had no association with literature. The word ''pícaro'' does not appear in '' Lazarillo de Tormes'' (1554), the

novella A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...

credited by modern scholars with founding the genre. The expression ''picaresque novel'' was coined in 1810. Whether it has any validity at all as a generic label in the Spanish sixteenth and seventeenth centuries—Cervantes certainly used "picaresque" with a different meaning than it has today—has been called into question. There is unresolved debate within Hispanic studies about what the term means, or meant, and which works were, or should be, so called. The only work clearly called "picaresque" by its contemporaries was

's '' Guzmán de Alfarache'' (1599), which to them was the ''Libro del pícaro'' (The Book of the Pícaro).

History

''Lazarillo de Tormes'' and its sources

While elements of Chaucer and Boccaccio have a picaresque feel and may have contributed to the style, the modern picaresque begins with '' Lazarillo de Tormes'', which was published anonymously in 1554 in Burgos, Medina del Campo, and Alcalá de Henares in Spain, and also in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

, which at the time was under Spanish rule as a major city in the Spanish Netherlands. It is variously considered either the first picaresque novel or at least the antecedent of the genre. The protagonist, Lázaro, lives by his wits in an effort to survive and succeed in an impoverished country full of hypocrisy. As a ''pícaro'' character, he is an alienated outsider, whose ability to expose and ridicule individuals compromised within society gives him a revolutionary stance. Lázaro states that the motivation for his writing is to communicate his experiences of overcoming deception, hypocrisy, and falsehood (''engaño''). The character type draws on elements of characterization already present in Roman literature, especially

Petronius Gaius Petronius Arbiter"Gaius Petronius Arbiter"
Satyricon''. Lázaro shares some of the traits of the central figure of Encolpius, a former gladiator, though it is unlikely that the author had access to Petronius' work. From the comedies of Plautus, ''Lazarillo'' borrows the figure of the parasite and the supple slave. Other traits are taken from Apuleius' '' The Golden Ass''.Chaytor, Henry John (192
''La vida de Lazarillo de Tormes''
p.vii ''The Golden Ass'' and ''Satyricon'' are rare surviving samples of the "

Milesian tale The Milesian tale ( el, Μιλησιακά, ''Milesiaka''; Latin:''fabula milesiaca'', or ''Milesiae fabula'') is a genre of fictional story prominent in ancient Greek and Roman literature. According to most authorities, a Milesian tale is a short ...

", a popular genre in the classical world, and were revived and widely read in Renaissance Europe. The principal episodes of ''Lazarillo'' are based on Arabic folktales that were well known to the Moorish inhabitants of Spain. The Arabic influence may account for the negative portrayal of priests and other church officials in ''Lazarillo''. Arabic literature, which was read widely in Spain in the time of Al-Andalus and possessed a literary tradition with similar themes, is thus another possible influence on the picaresque style. Al-Hamadhani (d.1008) of Hamadhan (Iran) is credited with inventing the literary genre of ''maqamat'' in which a wandering vagabond makes his living on the gifts his listeners give him following his extemporaneous displays of rhetoric, erudition, or verse, often done with a trickster's touch. Ibn al-Astarkuwi or al-Ashtarkuni (d.1134) also wrote in the genre ''maqamat'', comparable to later European picaresque. The curious presence of Russian loanwords in the text of the ''Lazarillo'' also suggests the influence of medieval Slavic tales of tricksters, thieves, itinerant prostitutes, and brigands, who were common figures in the impoverished areas bordering on Germany to the west. When diplomatic ties to Germany and Spain were established under the emperor Charles V, these tales began to be read in Italian translations in the Iberian Peninsula. As narrator of his own adventures, Lázaro seeks to portray himself as the victim of both his ancestry and his circumstance. This means of appealing to the compassion of the reader would be directly challenged by later picaresque novels such as ''Guzmán de Alfarache'' (1599/1604) and '' El Buscón'' (composed in the first decade of the 17th century and first published in 1626) because the idea of determinism used to cast the ''pícaro'' as a victim clashed with the Counter-Reformation doctrine of free will.

Other initial works

An early example is

's ''Guzmán de Alfarache'' (1599), characterized by religiosity. Guzmán de Alfarache is a fictional character who lived in San Juan de Aznalfarache, Seville, Spain. Francisco de Quevedo's '' El Buscón'' (1604 according to Francisco Rico; the exact date is uncertain, yet it was certainly a very early work) is considered the masterpiece of the subgenre by A. A. Parker, because of his

baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

style and the study of the delinquent psychology. However, a more recent school of thought, led by

Francisco Rico Francisco Rico Manrique (born 28 April 1942, Barcelona) is a Spanish philologist. He was a student of José Manuel Blecua and Martín de Riquer. He is a professor of Medieval Spanish Literature at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and, sin ...

, rejects Parker's view, contending instead that the protagonist, Pablos, is a highly unrealistic character, simply a means for Quevedo to launch

classist Class discrimination, also known as classism, is prejudice or discrimination on the basis of social class. It includes individual attitudes, behaviors, systems of policies and practices that are set up to benefit the upper class at the expense ...

racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

and

sexist Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers primaril ...

attacks. Moreover, argues Rico, the structure of the novel is radically different from previous works of the picaresque genre: Quevedo uses the conventions of the picaresque as a mere vehicle to show off his abilities with conceit and rhetoric, rather than to construct a satirical critique of

society. Miguel de Cervantes wrote several works "in the picaresque manner, notably ''

Rinconete y Cortadillo "Rinconete y Cortadillo" (or "Novela de Rinconete y Cortadillo") is one of the twelve short stories included in ''Novelas Ejemplares'', by Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes. The story is set in Seville in 1569, which at the time was a rich city ...

'' (1613) and '' El coloquio de los perros'' (1613; “Colloquy of the Dogs”)". "Cervantes also incorporated elements of the picaresque into his greatest novel, '' Don Quixote'' (1605, 1615)", the "single most important progenitor of the modern novel", that M. H. Abrams has described as a "quasi-picaresque narrative". Here the hero is not a rogue but a foolish knight. In order to understand the historical context that led to the development of these paradigmatic picaresque novels in Spain during the 16th and 17th centuries, it is essential to take into consideration the circumstances surrounding the lives of ''conversos,'' whose ancestors had been Jewish, and whose New Christian faith was subjected to close scrutiny and mistrust. In other European countries, these Spanish novels were read and imitated. In Germany, Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen wrote '' Simplicius Simplicissimus'' (1669), the most important of non-Spanish picaresque novels. It describes the devastation caused by the Thirty Years' War. Grimmelshausen's novel has been called an example of the German ''abenteuerroman'' (which literally means "adventure novel"). An ''abenteuerroman'' is Germany's version of the picaresque novel; it is an "entertaining story of the adventures of the hero, but there is also often a serious aspect to the story."Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature. Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, Publishers. Springfield, Massachusetts, 1995. Page 3. Alain-René Le Sage's '' Gil Blas'' (1715) is a classic example of the genre, which in France had declined into an aristocratic adventure. In Britain, the first example is Thomas Nashe's ''

The Unfortunate Traveller ''The Unfortunate Traveller: or, the Life of Jack Wilton'' (originally published as ''The Unfortunate Traueller: or, The Life of Jacke Wilton'') is a picaresque novel by Thomas Nashe first published in 1594 but set during the reign of Henry VIII of ...

'' (1594) in which a court page, Jack Wilson, exposes the underclass life in a string of European cities through lively, often brutal descriptions. The body of Tobias Smollett's work, and

Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe (; born Daniel Foe; – 24 April 1731) was an English writer, trader, journalist, pamphleteer and spy. He is most famous for his novel ''Robinson Crusoe'', published in 1719, which is claimed to be second only to the Bible in its ...

's ''

Moll Flanders ''Moll Flanders'' is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published in 1722. It purports to be the true account of the life of the eponymous Moll, detailing her exploits from birth until old age. By 1721, Defoe had become a recognised novelist, wit ...

'' (1722) are considered picaresque, but they lack the sense of religious redemption of delinquency that was very important in Spanish and German novels. The triumph of Moll Flanders is more economic than moral. While the mores of the early 18th century wouldn't permit Moll to be a heroine ''per se'', Defoe hardly disguises his admiration for her resilience and resourcefulness.

Works with some picaresque elements

The autobiography of

Benvenuto Cellini Benvenuto Cellini (, ; 3 November 150013 February 1571) was an Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and author. His best-known extant works include the ''Cellini Salt Cellar'', the sculpture of ''Perseus with the Head of Medusa'', and his autobiography ...

, written in Florence beginning in 1558, also has much in common with the picaresque. The classic Chinese novel '' Journey to the West'' is considered to have considerable picaresque elements. Having been written in 1590, it is contemporary with much of the above—but is unlikely to have been directly influenced by the European genre.

18th and 19th centuries

Henry Fielding proved his mastery of the form in '' Joseph Andrews'' (1742), ''

The Life and Death of Jonathan Wild, the Great ''The Life and Death of the Late Jonathan Wild, the Great'' is a satiric novel by Henry Fielding. It was published in 1743 in Fielding's ''Miscellanies'', third volume. It is a satiric account of the life of London underworld boss Jonathan Wild ...

'' (1743) and ''

The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling ''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', often known simply as ''Tom Jones'', is a comic novel by English playwright and novelist Henry Fielding. It is a ''Bildungsroman'' and a picaresque novel. It was first published on 28 February 1749 in L ...

'' (1749), though Fielding attributed his style to an "imitation of the manner of Cervantes, author of '' Don Quixote''". William Makepeace Thackeray is the master of the 19th-century English picaresque. Like ''Moll Flanders'', Thackeray's best-known work, '' Vanity Fair: A Novel Without a Hero'' (1847-1848)—a title ironically derived from John Bunyan's Puritan allegory of redemption '' The Pilgrim's Progress'' (1678)—follows the career of fortune-hunting adventuress

Becky Sharp Rebecca "Becky" Sharp, later describing herself as Rebecca, Lady Crawley, is the main protagonist of William Makepeace Thackeray's 1847–48 novel '' Vanity Fair''. She is presented as a cynical social climber who uses her charms to fascinate a ...

. His earlier novel '' The Luck of Barry Lyndon'' (1844) recounts the rise and fall of an Irish arriviste conniving his way into the 18th-century English aristocracy. Aleko Konstantinov wrote the 1895 novel ''Bay Ganyo'' about the eponymous Bulgarian rogue. The character conducts business of uneven honesty around Europe before returning home to get into politics and newspaper publishing. Bay Ganyo is a well-known stereotype in Bulgaria.

Works influenced by the picaresque

In the English-speaking world, the term "picaresque" has referred more to a

literary technique A narrative technique (known for literary fictional narratives as a literary technique, literary device, or fictional device) is any of several specific methods the creator of a narrative uses to convey what they want —in other words, a stra ...

or model than to the precise genre that the Spanish call ''picaresco''. The English-language term can simply refer to an episodic recounting of the adventures of an anti-hero on the road. Laurence Sterne's '' The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman'' (1761-1767) and '' A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy'' (1768) each have strong picaresque elements. Voltaire's French novel ''

Candide ( , ) is a French satire written by Voltaire, a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, first published in 1759. The novella has been widely translated, with English versions titled ''Candide: or, All for the Best'' (1759); ''Candide: or, The ...

'' (1759) contains elements of the picaresque. An interesting variation on the tradition of the picaresque is ''

The Adventures of Hajji Baba of Ispahan ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in En ...

'' (1824), a satirical view on early 19th-century Persia, written by a British diplomat,

James Morier James Justinian Morier (15 August 1782 – 19 March 1849) was a British diplomat and author noted for his novels about the Qajar dynasty in Iran, most famously for the ''Hajji Baba'' series. These were filmed in 1954. Early life Morier was bor ...

. See, also, ''

A Rogue's Life A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...

'' (1857) by Wilkie Collins. Elements of the picaresque novel are found in Charles Dickens' '' The Pickwick Papers'' (1836–37)."Picaresque", Britannica online. Gogol occasionally used the technique, as in ''

Dead Souls ''Dead Souls'' (russian: «Мёртвые души», ''Mjórtvyje dúshi'') is a novel by Nikolai Gogol, first published in 1842, and widely regarded as an exemplar of 19th-century Russian literature. The novel chronicles the travels and adv ...

'' (1842–52).

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has p ...

's '' Adventures of Huckleberry Finn'' (1884) also has some elements of the picaresque novel.

20th and 21st centuries

Kvachi Kvachantiradze ''Kvachi Kvachantiradze'' ( ka, კვაჭი კვაჭანტირაძე) is a novel written by Mikheil Javakhishvili in 1924. It was translated by Donald Rayfield in 2015. This is the best-known picaresque novel written in Georgia. ...

'' is a novel written by Mikheil Javakhishvili in 1924. This is, in brief, the story of a swindler, a Georgian

Felix Krull ''Confessions of Felix Krull'' () is an unfinished 1954 novel by the German author Thomas Mann. Synopsis The novel is narrated by the protagonist, an impostor and adventurer named Felix Krull, the son of a ruined Rhineland winemaker. Felix avoid ...

, or perhaps a cynical Don Quixote, named Kvachi Kvachantiradze: womanizer, cheat, perpetrator of insurance fraud, bank-robber, associate of Rasputin, filmmaker, revolutionary, and pimp. '' The Twelve Chairs'' (1928) and its sequel, ''

The Little Golden Calf ''The Little Golden Calf'' (russian: Золотой телёнок, ''Zolotoy telyonok'') is a satirical novel by Soviet authors Ilf and Petrov, published in 1931. Its main character, Ostap Bender, also appears in a previous novel by the authors c ...

'' (1931), by Ilya Ilf and Yevgeni Petrov (together known as Ilf and Petrov) became classics of 20th-century Russian satire and the basis for numerous film adaptations.

Camilo José Cela Camilo José Cela y Trulock, 1st Marquess of Iria Flavia (; 11 May 1916 – 17 January 2002) was a Spanish novelist, poet, story writer and essayist associated with the Generation of '36 movement. He was awarded the 1989 Nobel Prize in Literat ...

's '' La familia de Pascual Duarte'' (1942), Ralph Ellison's '' Invisible Man'' (1952) and ''

The Adventures of Augie March ''The Adventures of Augie March'' is a picaresque novel by Saul Bellow, published in 1953 by Viking Press. It features the eponymous Augie March, who grows up during the Great Depression, and it is an example of ''Bildungsroman'', tracing the de ...

'' by Saul Bellow (1953) were also among mid-twentieth-century picaresque literature.

John A. Lee John Alfred Alexander Lee (31 October 1891 – 13 June 1982) was a New Zealand politician and writer. He is one of the more prominent avowed socialism in New Zealand, socialists in New Zealand's political history. Lee was elected as a me ...

's ''

Shining with the Shiner Shining, The Shining or Shinin may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''The Shining'' (novel), a 1977 novel by Stephen King ** ''The Shining'' (film), a 1980 film by Stanley Kubrick starring Jack Nicholson ** ''The Shining'' (TV miniseries), a 199 ...

'' (1944) tells amusing tales about New Zealand folk hero Ned Slattery (1840–1927) surviving by his wits and beating the ‘ Protestant work ethic'. So too is Thomas Mann's ''

Confessions of Felix Krull ''Confessions of Felix Krull'' () is an unfinished 1954 novel by the German author Thomas Mann. Synopsis The novel is narrated by the protagonist, an impostor and adventurer named Felix Krull, the son of a ruined Rhineland winemaker. Felix avoid ...

'' (1954), which like many novels emphasizes the theme of a charmingly roguish ascent in the social order. ''

Under the Net ''Under the Net'' is a 1954 novel by Iris Murdoch. It was Murdoch's first published novel. Set in London, it is the story of a struggling young writer, Jake Donaghue. Its mixture of the philosophical and the picaresque has made it one of Murdoc ...

'' (1954) by Iris Murdoch,

Günter Grass Günter Wilhelm Grass (born Graß; ; 16 October 1927 – 13 April 2015) was a German novelist, poet, playwright, illustrator, graphic artist, sculptor, and recipient of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Literature. He was born in the Free City of Da ...

's '' The Tin Drum'' (1959) is a German picaresque novel. John Barth's '' The Sot-Weed Factor'' (1960) is a picaresque novel that parodies the

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

and uses

black humor Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

by intentionally incorrect using literary devices. Other 1960s and 1970s examples include Jerzy Kosinski's ''

The Painted Bird ''The Painted Bird ''is a 1965 novel by Jerzy Kosiński that describes World War II as seen by a boy, considered a "Gypsy or Jewish stray," wandering about small villages scattered around an unspecified country in Central and Eastern Europe. T ...

'' (1965),

Vladimir Voinovich Vladimir Nikolayevich Voinovich (russian: Влади́мир Никола́евич Войно́вич, 26 September 1932 – 27 July 2018), was a Russian writer and former Soviet dissident, and the "first genuine comic writer" produced by the S ...

's ''

The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin ''The Life and Extraordinary Adventures of Private Ivan Chonkin'' (russian: Жизнь и необыча́йные приключе́ния солда́та Ива́на Чо́нкина, ''Zhizn i neobïchaynïe priklyucheniya soldata Ivana Chonk ...

'' (1969), and Arto Paasilinna's '' The Year of the Hare'' (1975). Examples from the 1980s include John Kennedy Toole's novel '' A Confederacy of Dunces'', which was published in 1980, eleven years after the author's suicide, and won the 1981 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. It follows the adventures of Ignatius J. Reilly, a well-educated but lazy and obese slob, as he attempts to find stable employment in New Orleans and meets many colorful characters along the way. As well, there is Angela Carter's '' Nights at the Circus'' (1984). Later examples include Umberto Eco's '' Baudolino'' (2000), and Aravind Adiga's ''

The White Tiger A white tiger is a tiger with a genetic condition affecting its pelt's pigmentation. White tiger, White Tiger or The White Tiger may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Characters * White Tiger (comics), various Marvel Comics superhero ...

'' (Booker Prize 2008). William S. Burroughs was a devoted fan of picaresque novels, and gave a series of lectures involving the topic in 1979 at

Naropa University Naropa University is a private university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1974 by Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa, it is named for the 11th-century Indian Buddhist sage Naropa, an abbot of Nalanda. The university describes itself as B ...

in Colorado. He says it is impossible to separate the anti-hero from the picaresque novel, that most of these are funny, and they all have protagonist who are outsiders by their nature. His list of picaresque novels includes Petronius' novel '' Satyricon'' (54–68 AD), ''

'' (1594) by Thomas Nashe, both '' Maiden Voyage'' (1943) and ''

A Voice Through a Cloud ''A Voice Through a Cloud'' is an autobiographical novel by Denton Welch, who became a writer after a serious accident which had long-term effects on his health. The book describes his bicycle accident when he was an art student, and subsequent ...

'' (1950) by

Denton Welch Maurice Denton Welch (29 March 1915 – 30 December 1948) was a British writer and painter, admired for his vivid prose and precise descriptions. Life Welch was born in Shanghai, China, to Arthur Joseph Welch, a wealthy British rubber merchant, ...

, ''

Two Serious Ladies ''Two Serious Ladies'' is a 1943 modernist novel by the American writer Jane Bowles. It follows two upper-class women, Christina Goering and Frieda Copperfield, as they descend into debauchery. Bowles' style is often described as singular. In Fe ...

'' (1943) by

Jane Bowles Jane Bowles (; born Jane Sydney Auer; February 22, 1917 – May 4, 1973) was an American writer and playwright. Early life Born into a Jewish family in New York City on February 22, 1917, to Sydney Auer (father) and Claire Stajer (mother), Jane ...

, ''

Death on Credit ''Death on Credit'' (french: link=no, Mort à crédit, US translation: ''Death on the Installment Plan'') is a novel by author Louis-Ferdinand Céline, published in 1936. The most common, and generally most respected English translation is Ralph ...

'' (1936) by Louis-Ferdinand Céline, and even himself. In contemporary Latin American narrative, there are Manuel Rojas' ''

Hijo de ladrón ''Hijo de ladrón'' ( es, Son of a thief) is a Chilean novel, written by Manuel Rojas. It was first published in 1951. It was translated by Frank Gaynor and published under the title ''Born Guilty'' by Library Publishers in New York in 1955 and ...

'' (1951), Joaquín Edwards' ''El roto'' (1968), Elena Poniatowska's ''Hasta no verte Jesús mío'' (1969), Luis Zapata's ''Las aventuras, desventuras y sueños de Adonis García, el vampiro de la colonia Roma'' (1978) and

José Baroja José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

's ''Un hijo de perra'' (2017), among others.

Works influenced by the picaresque

Jaroslav Hašek's '' The Good Soldier Švejk'' (1923) is an example of a work from Central Europe that has picaresque elements. J. B. Priestley made use of the form in his ''

The Good Companions ''The Good Companions'' is a novel by the English author J. B. Priestley. Written in 1929, it follows the fortunes of a concert party on a tour of England. It is Priestley's most famous novel and established him as a national figure. It won ...

'' (1929), which won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for Fiction. Fritz Leiber's series of

Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are two sword-and-sorcery heroes appearing in stories written by American author Fritz Leiber. They are the protagonists of what are probably Leiber's best-known stories. One of his motives in writing them was to have ...

novels have many picaresque elements, and are sometimes described as picaresque on the whole.

Hannah Tinti Hannah Tinti (born 1973) is an American writer and the co-founder of ''One Story'' magazine. She received the PEN/Nora Magid Award for Magazine Editing in 2009 for ''One Story'', as well as the Alex Awards. Personal life Tinti was born in 1973 ...

's novel '' The Good Thief'' (2008) features a young, one-handed orphan who craves a family, and finds one in a group of rogues and misfits.

Atlus is a Japanese video game developer, publisher, arcade manufacturer and distribution company based in Tokyo. A subsidiary of Sega, the company is known for video game series such as ''Megami Tensei'', ''Persona'', ''Etrian Odyssey'' and ''Trau ...

' video game Persona 5 (2016) Was heavily inspired by picaresque fiction. Featuring many picaresque elements, including depictions of other characters, similar themes and literary devices.

In cinema

In 1987 an Italian comedy film written and directed by

Mario Monicelli Mario Alberto Ettore Monicelli (; 16 May 1915 – 29 November 2010) was an Italian film director and screenwriter and one of the masters of the ''Commedia all'Italiana'' (Comedy Italian style). He was nominated six times for an Oscar, and was awa ...

was released under the Italian title ''I picari''. It was co-produced with Spain, where it was released as ''Los alegres pícaros'', and internationally as '' The Rogues''. Starring

Vittorio Gassman Vittorio Gassman (; born Gassmann; 1 September 1922 – 29 June 2000), popularly known as , was an Italian actor, director and screenwriter. He is considered one of the greatest Italian actors, whose career includes both important productions ...

Nino Manfredi Saturnino "Nino" Manfredi (22 March 1921 – 4 June 2004) was an Italian actor, voice actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, comedian, singer, author, radio personality and television presenter. He was one of the most prominent Italian a ...

, Enrico Montesano, Giuliana De Sio and Giancarlo Giannini, the film is freely inspired by the Spanish novels '' Lazarillo de Tormes'' and '' Guzman de Alfarache''.

In television

The sixth episode of Season 1 of the Spanish fantasy television series, '' El ministerio del tiempo'' (English title: The Ministry of Time), entitled "Tiempo de pícaros" (Time of rascals) focuses on Lázarillo de Tormes as a young boy prior to his adventures in the genre-creating novel that bears his name.

Defined

Etymology

History

''Lazarillo de Tormes'' and its sources

Other initial works

Works with some picaresque elements

18th and 19th centuries

Works influenced by the picaresque

20th and 21st centuries

Works influenced by the picaresque

In cinema

In television

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

External links