Lazarillo de Tormes: Social Critique in the First Picaresque Novel

Lazarillo de Tormes: An Antihero's Journey

Lazarillo de Tormes presents autobiographical elements and facts narrated with verisimilitude. It portrays the life of an antihero, marked by alternating grace and disgrace, who never fully escapes his miserable existence. He uses tricks to survive and grows into an adult lacking honor.

Publication History and Authorship

The text first appeared in 1554 in four different editions simultaneously. It achieved remarkable success but was soon banned by the Inquisition in 1559. In 1573, its printing was allowed again, albeit in an expurgated version. The complete text was not published again in Spain until 1834.

The exact date of composition is unknown, although historical references within the work suggest the mid-16th century. The novel was published anonymously. Subsequently, it has been attributed to very different authors, though no attribution is convincing. Theories suggest the author might have been a crypto-converso or even a nobleman.

Literary Analysis: Sources, Structure, and Style

Sources and Influences

Many elements in Lazarillo de Tormes originate from folk tradition, incorporating popular tales and anecdotes, such as the sausage incident. The episode with the blind master also has traditional roots. These elements acquire meaning as part of the life story of a character, told by himself.

Narrative Structure

The composition is structured around two primary models:

• Autobiography: The work follows the life story of Lazarillo, told in the first person, building on a long tradition of autobiographical writing.
• Epistolary Novel: The narrative unfolds within the framework of a long letter addressed to a stranger, 'Vuestra Merced' (Your Grace), a model which also had a significant tradition. The final treatise reveals the work is a letter responding to an inquiry about the rumors ('habladurías') concerning the relationship between Lazarillo's wife and the Archpriest of San Salvador.

Lazarillo de Tormes serves as a crucial point of departure for the European realist novel. The constitution of this new literary genre, the picaresque novel, is characterized by protagonists who develop and change throughout the narrative. Lazarillo evolves significantly from the child at the beginning to the adult at the end of the work.

Literary Style

A remarkable difference exists between this work's language and the typical narratives of its time. Lazarillo's plain language is spontaneous and without artificiality, consistent with the realistic aims of the novel. Although the preface is constructed according to the rules of classical rhetoric and uses elevated language, it is not without irony.

Themes and Significance

Lazarillo develops within a specific social environment that decisively conditions him. The work depicts an individual's learning process and, simultaneously, their adaptation to a complex social milieu – 16th-century Spain – concluding with their final, albeit compromised, integration.

In the last treatise, Lazarillo achieves material prosperity only in exchange for his personal dishonor, by consenting to the relationship between his wife and the Archpriest. Two central myths of 16th-century Spain are critically examined:

1. The obsession with honor.
2. Outward displays of religiosity.

Most of Lazarillo's masters, including men of the church, cruelly exploit the boy, leading to his decidedly negative opinions of them and the society they represent.