Lazarillo de Tormes: Picaresque Novel Analysis
Lazarillo de Tormes: Birth of the Picaresque Novel
Lazarillo de Tormes opens a new subgenre: the picaresque novel. It is a pseudo-autobiographical story about the origins of a miserable character, Lázaro, who is soon abandoned by his family and provides service to several masters. The picaresque protagonist has a strong character and a desire to thrive. Picaresque stories often attempt to explain a final statement of dishonor.
Authorship and Early Editions
Dated in 1554, the earliest known editions come from lost versions one or two years earlier, with the book likely written around 1540. Authors proposed for this novel include Fray Juan de Ortega, Alfonso Valdés, and Cervantes de Salazar, among others.
Literary Sources of Lazarillo de Tormes
- The Golden Ass: A work by Apuleius.
- Fourth Book of the Brave Knight Rinaldo de Montalbán: Adapted from Baldo, an Italian poem.
- Process of Folengo’s Love Letter: John Segura’s sentimental fiction; Lazarillo takes the epistolary model.
- Folklore tales.
Lázaro’s Journey: A Historical Perspective
Lázaro left his family to serve several masters and developed various trades. His journey is typically divided into three modules:
Module One: Childhood (Blind, Cleric, Squire)
Lázaro teaches the blind man to assist at Mass, which facilitates his entry into the cleric’s service. With the cleric, he suffers increasing hunger, as he does with the squire, whom he believed would solve his life’s problems.
Module Two: Adolescence (Monk, Teacher, Pardoner)
Lázaro goes through situations without further influence. His sexual awakening is hidden, but the Friar of Mercy initiates him into erotic practices. Lázaro learns new arts of deception, building on falsehood.
Module Three: Youth (Chaplain, Archpriest, Bailiff)
Lázaro settles down and becomes a man with a paid occupation: first he works as a water carrier, then as a bailiff/sheriff, and finally as a town crier. The protagonist is seen at the peak of career success, in addition to his marriage: he now has a home. Lázaro, however, is alone, immersed in a world without love. Lazarillo is set in an urban area.
Narrative Discourse: Lázaro’s Monologue
The storyteller, an adult Lázaro, tells his story to ‘Your Worship,’ who has asked him to explain the Lazarillo case. Time lags occur between the events described and the narrator’s present. A short period spent with the blind man is devoted several pages, as is his six-month stay with the priest of Maqueda and two months with the squire.
Types of Speech in Lazarillo de Tormes
- Evaluative Discourse: The narrator assesses characters and situations.
- Universal Speech: The narrator expresses a generalization from an incident.
- Expressive Speech: The narrator of Lazarillo makes humorous use of some passages from the Gospel. Diminutives and antithesis are frequently used.
Irony in Lazarillo de Tormes
Irony is only seen against the background and depends on the sender’s intentions and the interlocutor’s ability to interpret the narrator-protagonist.
Self-Directed Irony
The narrator-protagonist directs irony towards himself when the squire tells him to live much better by eating little.
Irony Towards Masters
- The Blind Man: When he washed the wounds with wine from the enormous jug he had been giving him.
- The Priest of Maqueda: By the time he eats the bones that had been gnawed before.
- The Squire: Claims, knowing that Lázaro is hungry.
The author also directs his irony towards the adult Lázaro.