The Picaresque Novel
Wednesday Workshop
3 May 2017
The Picaresque Novel
Think of a pendulum: at one end of the swing, we have the pastoral novel and the novel of chivalry. The knights errant meet shepherds and shepherdesses on their travels, and all are cultured and can read and write. The main characters, heroes and heroines, if you wish, express high ideals and maintain a cultured standard of thought and living. The knights, in particular, follow the path of chivalry and defend the poor and maidens in distress. The ladies, especially the shepherdesses, are all ‘as pure as driven snow’ and they go to their graves, in the immortal words of Miguel de Cervantes, ‘as virgin as the mothers who bore them’.
At the other end of the pendulum swing and positioned there partly in contrast to the ‘perfect society’ of knights, shepherds, and shepherdesses, we find the picaresque novel. Most pícaros are men, though female pícaras do exist (la pícara Justina, for example), and the pícaro is an anti-hero. He writes in the first person singular and tells the story of his survival in the lower ranks of a corrupt and impoverished society.
Wikipedia phrases it this way: “The picaresque novel (Spanish “picaresca,” from “pícaro,” for “rogue” or “rascal”) is a genre of prose fiction that depicts the adventures of a roguish hero or heroine of low social class who lives by his or her wits in a corrupt society. Picaresque novels typically adopt a realistic style, with elements of comedy and satire. This style of novel originated in 16th-century Spain and flourished throughout Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. It continues to influence modern literature.”
Lazarillo de Tormes, considered by many to be the first picaresque novel, was written in Spain and three editions appeared in 1554. Lazarillo is given by his mother to a blind man who agrees to look after the young boy in return for the boy’s services as a guide. Even today, a person who guides a blind man is still called a lazarillo in some places. The book describes the life of Lazarillo as he moves from master to master until he eventually establishes himself ‘at the peak of all happiness and the height of his career’ as the local town-crier, married to a cast-off woman with whom the celibate village priest has created three children.
Lazarillo de Tormes, a book that never uses the term pícaro, establishes the basic rules for the genre. (1) It is an autobiography, or pseudo-autobiography, of the main character. (2) That character leads a peripatetic life, wandering from master to master, usually at the bottom end of society, but sometimes working in the kitchen or lower service of the great. (3) The picaresque novel also contains elements of humor and satire and in some cases, Guzmán de Alfarache, for example, has a moralizing purpose that is used to justify the immorality of the book.
The church did not receive the picaresque novel well, especially when the satire and humor were aimed at the church. In the Lazarillo, for example, Lazarillo works for a seller of Papal Bulls who sets up an elaborate and deceitful charade in order to increase his sales. This charade involves a friend who poses as a doubter, is then cursed and goes into a fit, but recovers almost immediately with the blessing of the Papal Bull. Lazarillo de Tormes was censored by the Inquisition and appeared in an even shorter version that was called El Lazarillo Castigado, Lazarillo Punished, with all unwholesome references to the church removed.
Perhaps the most famous picaresque novel, after Lazarillo, was El Buscón / The Swindler. It was written by Francisco de Quevedo in 1601 and circulated in manuscript form until it was published, illegally I should add, in 1627. The novel was so scandalous that it was denounced to the Inquisition and Quevedo often denied writing it. His intricate and heavily conceited style is inimitable, however, and the book contains several references to his own life. It is difficult imagining any other person as author.
Wikipedia translates pícaro as ‘rogue’ or ‘rascal’ and this illustrates the pleasant and humorous scallywag style that the character often has. However, the darker, more murderous side of the pícaro emerges more clearly when ‘swindler’ (Penguin Translation) or a stronger term is used. In this fashion, the pícaro (rascal or rogue) can be associated with Tom Jones or Oliver Twist, while his darker, more reprehensible side may be associated with by Bill Sykes or Fagin himself.
More important, perhaps, is the long life that the picaresque has had in Western Literature as the traveler, the journeyer, the observer, the young man who is ‘down and out’, works his way across the land, surviving, adventuring and commentating.
Brilliant I love these posts on literature….a great teacher with great examples Roger
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Thank you. The picaresque often carries some proto-surrealist elements since the ‘chance encounters’ of the wandering ant-hero can be spectacular. A good example would be Don Quixote’s meeting with the Cart of Death. The suspension and cat-scratching in the second part are also somewhat proto-surrealist, as are the underground adventures that all take place in a swoon or dream and are open to many (mis)-interpretations.
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Quite true Roger I had never really thought of it like that. Terry Gilliam is quite surrealistic and he has always longed to make a movie out of Don Quixote
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There is a long history of trying to turn DQ into a movie … most of the efforts have ended tragically, one way or another, as did Monty Python’s effort. I believe he is now doing a movie on not making the movie.
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I think he is or maybe he did already. Very post modern.
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Post-modern, eh? Now that’s a red flag to a Spanish fighting bull!
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Well I was talking about turning the attempt to turn the movie into a movie but isn’t Don Quixote quite the metafiction?
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Indeed it is. Part One is a wonderful example of a writer trying to find the proper way to write. There are so many literary experiments in the first part. The ten year gap (1605-1615) allows Cervantes to receive feedback and discover himself as the complete writer who dominates part two, turning it into a self-referring novel that paves the way to modern fiction.
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Now I have the full skinny on the matter. Thanks Roger, I am off to write a quick post, the second one of the day!
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Fascinating read, Roger! There are some real thoughts to ponder in this…and a few gems to tuck away for future writing!
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That’s great, Tanya, and thank you. Nothing like a few gems to tuck away for the future … that makes my day!
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Mine too…I got the gems!
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So interesting Roger! Thank you for this!
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Thanks, Meg. I have been going in circles a little bit, as you can imagine. It was good to sit down and right something slightly more intellectual. I have to catch up on my reading. I’ve been very slow and hesitant.
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Completely understandable. 🙏
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Hello, R: We spoke of the application of picaresque characters in the context of English vs Spanish, and a few days later, we find an excellently-written treatise on the word. I’m glad to see you find me useful at times! (I learned a lot, in our chat and in this posting.) Can a posting on the application of hyperbole to characters be far behind?
Cheers, Chuck
On Wed, May 3, 2017 at 10:27 AM, rogermoorepoetdotcom wrote:
> rogermoorepoet posted: ” Picaresque Wednesday Workshop 3 May 2017 > Picaresque Think of a pendulum: at one end of the swing, we > have the pastoral novel and the novel of chivalry. The knights errant meet > shepherds and shepherdesses on their travels, and all a” >
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It was indeed a delightful conversation, Chuck. The presence of the Picaresque in the workshop is due to you, as are the tags that I am now starting to use. Comments on Tags always useful.
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As for hyperbole, that is an interesting topic and one that I would embark upon … maybe next week.
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