Picaresque Novel: An Introduction

 

Picaresque refers to fiction that follows the adventures of a rogue character, a picaro who rambles along, relating the shady details of his everyday experiences in autobiographical form. The picaro's tales often come across with humour, although tragedy of circumstances usually travels with the storytelling. Although he's a rascal, the picaresque hero can be quite likable in the realism he portrays. You can find picaresque prose among many authors, including Henry Fielding (Joseph Andrews), Francois Voltaire (Candide), Lord Byron (Don Juan), and J.D. Salinger (Catcher in the Rye). Thomas Nash is credited with writing the first picaresque novel in English (1594):  The Unfortunate Traveller, or the Life of Jack Wilton.

The picaresque novel (Spanish: "picaresca," from "pícaro," for "rogue"or "rascal") is a popular genre of novel, usually a first –person narrative thatdepicts the adventures of a roguish hero of low social class who drifts from place to place, one social milieu to another in his effort to survive and lives by his wits in a corrupt society. The picaresque novel is a genre of prose fiction that originated in 16th century Spain and flourished in Europe in the 17^th and 18^th centuries and has continued to influence modern literature.

According to the traditional view of Thrall and Hibbard, seven qualities distinguish the picaresque novel or narrative form, all or some of which an author may employ for effect:

1.       A  picaresque narrative is usually written in first person as an autobiographical account.

2.    The main character is often of low character or social class. He or she gets by with wit and rarely deigns to hold a job.

3.        There is no plot! The story is told in a series of loosely connected adventures or episodes.

4.        There is little if any character development in the main character. Once a picaro, always a picaro. His or her circumstances may change but they rarely result in a change of heart.

5.        The picaro’s story is told with a plainness of language or realism.

6.       Satire is sometimes an important element.

7.       The behaviour of a picaresque hero or heroine stops short of criminality. Carefree or immoral rascality positions the picaresque hero as a sympathetic outsider, untouched by the false rules of society.

In its episodic structure, the picaresque novel resembles the long, rambling romances of medieval chivalry, to which it provided the first realistic counterpart. Unlike the idealistic knight-errant hero, however, the picaro is a cynical and amoral rascal. The picaro wanders about and has adventures among people from all social classes and professions, often just  barely escaping punishment for his own lying, cheating, and stealing. He is a casteless outsider who feels inwardly unrestrained by prevailing social codes and mores, and he conforms outwardly to them only when it serves his own ends. Characteristically, the picaresque novel is anti-romantic in nature. It sharply attacks the romance, courtly marriage and chivalry of the medieval literature.  Dr. Kettle is of the opinion, “What made their novel possible was the new attitude to the world brought about by the decadence of feudal society.” 

 

The picaro’s narrative becomes in effect an ironic or satirical survey of the hypocrisies and corruptions of society, while also offering the reader a rich mine of observations concerning people in low or humble walks of life. The picaresque novel, a reaction against the absurd unrealities and idealism of the pastoral, sentimental, and chivalric novels, represents the beginnings of modern realism.