Spanish Golden Age Prose: Cervantes and the Picaresque

Seventeenth-Century Picaresque Novels

The genre evolved with key works such as:

• Guzmán de Alfarache (The Rogue) by Mateo Alemán: Subtitled Atalaya de la vida humana (Watchtower of Human Life), it follows the autobiographical life model of Lazarillo.
• The Buscón by Francisco de Quevedo: A picaresque novel written in a highly cultured, complex, and conceptist style.

Cervantes and Don Quixote

Miguel de Cervantes: His literary work developed during the height of the Spanish Golden Age. Born in Alcalá de Henares, he served as a page to a cardinal and later fought bravely in the Battle of Lepanto. He attempted to write for the theater (teatro) and saw some of his works staged, but without much financial success. He had several troubles with the law and was imprisoned twice in Seville. He died on April 23, 1616.

Cervantes's Novels

His notable prose works include:

• La Galatea
• The Exemplary Novels (including The Gypsy Girl, Rinconete y Cortadillo, The Deceitful Marriage, and The Colloquy of the Dogs)

Don Quixote

The primary purpose of the novel was to expose the false and foolish tales of the books of chivalry (caballería) to public abomination. A parody of chivalric romances is present throughout the book, highlighting:

• The conflict between reality and fiction.
• Madness and the constant transformation of reality.
• Meta-literature: discussions about books of chivalry, theater, and writing itself.

Structure of Don Quixote

The novel consists of two parts, and the protagonist's actions are organized around three distinct outings (sallies):

• First outing: Don Quixote rides out alone, is dubbed a knight at an inn, and returns home battered and bruised, rescued by his neighbor.
• Second outing: Undertaken in the company of his squire, Sancho Panza. This section features the famous adventure of the windmills.
• Third outing: This focuses exclusively on the further adventures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.

The Pastoral Novel

Created in Italy, the pastoral novel is characterized by love themes starring refined, idealized shepherds. It is set in a beautiful, stylized nature (locus amoenus) and written in a slow, complex, and exquisitely artificial language.

The Moorish Novel

This genre presents an idealization of the Arab world after the Reconquista. It relates the adventures of a Muslim protagonist adorned with the highest virtues and qualities. The primary example of this genre is The History of the Abencerraje and the Beautiful Jarifa.

The Byzantine Novel

A sentimental novel of intrigue, it narrates the travels, travails, and adventures of two lovers, detailing the dangers they face before being happily reunited after a long separation.

The Picaresque Novel

The most important and foundational work of this genre is Lazarillo de Tormes. The genre is characterized by:

• An autobiographical narrative form.
• An antihero protagonist who travels from place to place serving different masters.
• A realistic tone that exposes the harsh social conditions of the era.

Lazarillo de Tormes

Published anonymously in 1554, the book is written in the form of an autobiographical letter.

Content of the Story

• Lázaro's birth and first master: He enters the service of a cunning and cruel blind man. After several chapters, Lázaro leaves him after playing a harsh, retaliatory joke on him.
• Maqueda: He serves a greedy clergyman who starves him.
• Toledo: He serves an impoverished squire who is extremely proud and obsessed with his honor.
• The Friar: In Toledo, he enters the service of a Friar of the Order of Mercy.
• The Pardoner: He spends four months serving a deceitful seller of papal indulgences.
• Other masters: He serves a master who paints tambourines, and later a chaplain.
• Final position: After working as an assistant to a constable, he finally secures a stable government post as a town crier.