Understanding the Narrative Structure of Lazarillo

The author of Lazarillo is not limited to anecdotes strung together but creates a narrative composed of a series of events that are organized hierarchically. The composition of Lazarillo is based on two structural models: the autobiography and the elements of the epistle. All elements gain a sense because they are part of the history of a character's life as told by the autobiography itself. It already had a long literary tradition; the direct source for the autobiography of Lazarillo is the Golden Ass of Apuleius. The model of the epistle, as a framework in which to develop the narrative, also has a long tradition. There is the presence of data taken directly from reality, such as geographical references. The work proposes that it be read as if it were a real story. Lazarillo was the starting point of the European realistic novel. The protagonist changes from the beginning to the end of the work. In style, it should be noted the significant difference in language; the language is flat and lacks the spontaneity of artificiality. Ideas and meaning: the work shows the learning process of an individual and adaptation to a complex social environment, specifically Spain in the 16th century, concluding with its final integration. This comparison is not made without considering the dignity of the character. In the final treaty, prosperity is achieved only at the expense of the character's personal disgrace by consenting to his wife's relations with the archpriest.

This novel is a hard and sharp criticism of the society of its time, both regarding the individual behavior of the characters and the social system that forces them to be interested and hypocritical. Two myths are the target of the critic's obsession: honor and religion. Most of the masters of the clergy and all of Lazarillo are exploiting the boy, whose opinion of men of the Church is not positive. In Lazarillo, the values that are most commonly worked with are ambition, greed, and money. MDC: a poet, wrote many poems, but many have been lost; he only published a verse play, The Journey to Parnassus (1614). It presents a conflict between bad and good writers. As a playwright, he wrote numerous plays; his only known tragedy is La Numancia. Very interesting are the starters, based on Lope de Rueda, where Cervantes endowed greater psychological complexity to the characters of the entremés. These are an accurate portrayal of the popular classes of the time. Among the most famous is The Retrablo of Maravillas. As a novelist, his task as a narrator led him to experiment with most of the previous narrative models. He will be a key author in the renewal of literary genres that will emerge in the Baroque period. The Galatea is a pastoral work, Don Quixote is a book of chivalry, and the Exemplary Novels are molded after Italian short stories. His Galatea, the first novel, follows the trail of pastoral books.