Lazarillo de Tormes: A Literary Analysis and Historical Context

Lazarillo de Tormes (1554)

Four editions appeared in a book called The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes and His Fortunes and Adversities. The author remained anonymous. It blends epistolary genre features (a letter to 'Your Grace') and initiates the picaresque novel. Told in the first person, it recounts the protagonist's life. Lazarillo, a rogue of humble social status, advances through cunning and deceit. The narrative comprises a prologue and seven chapters (treaties), each detailing his service to a different master. The structure is circular (beginning and ending in adulthood) and internally linear (chronological events). Lazarillo, an antihero, undergoes negative evolution, losing innocence with each master and becoming disillusioned. His masters possess complex personalities; the squire, for instance, maintains appearances despite poverty. The style is realistic, evident in descriptions, characterizations, and simple language. Black humor is employed.

17th Century World

The Baroque period develops. In Spain, Philip II's death (1580) marks the end of a golden age and the onset of crisis, continuous warfare, the Protestant Reformation's spread, widespread impoverishment, and vast social contrasts.

Culture and Art

Philosophical theories of empiricists and rationalists boost scientific research. Art emphasizes appearance and its effect on the spectator.

Literature

Literature targets a broad audience, aiming to please. Controversies and feuds arise among authors seeking genre and style innovation. Renaissance forms are reused and intensified, with abundant literary figures, decoration, and wordplay.

16th Century (Siglo XVI)

Originating in Italy, humanism spreads across Europe, separating the human and supernatural. God ceases to be the universe's center, and the relationship between man and religion becomes personal. The Reformation and Counter-Reformation harden religious principles. European monarchies consolidate power.

Renaissance Culture and Art

Renaissance art revives classical antiquity's legacy after the Middle Ages.

Renaissance Literature

Writers turn to Greco-Roman antiquity, reviving eclogues, elegies, letters, and dialogues. Italian literature becomes the primary reference for European writers, who imitate classics while introducing innovations. Major themes are love and nature, with abundant mythological references. The style seeks clarity and balance.