The Picaresque Novel and Renaissance Literary Trends

Renaissance Narrative Trends and Novel Types

During the Renaissance, narrative suggested two major trends: one idealistic, covering adventurous and fantastic stories; the other realistic in nature, notable for its detailed description of characters and environments.

Key Novel Types of the Renaissance

• Books of Chivalry: Highly successful in previous centuries.
• Italian Novella: Characterized by tangled intrigue and tragic or farcical themes.
• Pastoral Novel: Emerged in the mid-century, inspired by works of classic literature.
• Byzantine Novel: A narrative genre describing the protagonists' perilous journeys full of adventure.
• Moorish Novel: Has its antecedents in border ballads, developing sentimental stories between Moors and Christians at the end of the Reconquista.

Against these idealistic stories, the realist character is prominently shown in Lazarillo and Don Quijote.

The Picaresque Novel: Origins and Structure

The picaresque novel begins in 1554 with El Lazarillo de Tormes. The genre's birth was influenced by various circumstances:

Circumstances Influencing the Picaresque Genre

• The social environment of the time, marked by changing demographics and individual mobility.
• Increasing discrimination suffered by New Christians due to reasons of purity of blood.
• The ideological openness initiated by Charles I and the emergence of Erasmian ideas.
• The literary reaction against the Books of Chivalry, positioning the pícaro (rogue) as an anti-hero protagonist.

Characteristics of the Pícaro (Rogue)

The rogue exhibits an anti-heroic attitude, devoid of ideals. They lack a stable home, act based on immediate motives, suffer adversity with resignation, are highly adaptable, and possess a warped code of honor.

Structural Characteristics of the Picaresque Novel

• The book is an autobiographical fiction recounted in the first person.
• The story is based on a succession of episodes.
• The action is shifting and narrative.
• Events are subordinated to a predetermined conclusion.
• The narrative follows a chronological course with some thematic confluences.

Analysis of El Lazarillo de Tormes

In the first person, Lazarillo tells the story of Lázaro, a character born of humble origins on the banks of the Tormes, who learns to survive by his wits. The central theme is the story of apprenticeship (a form of Bildungsroman), shown through the account of Lázaro's events and adventures.

Key Themes in El Lazarillo

• Hunger and poverty
• Hypocrisy and false honor
• Lack of human solidarity
• Begging

Characterization and Style

There is no formal description of the characters; instead, each comes alive gradually through their actions, dialogue, or what others say about them. Only Lázaro evolves throughout the narrative. The language is simple, clear, and essentializing; the dialogue, despite its literary beauty, is animated with conversational phrases.