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THE HISTORY OF TOM JONES, A FOUNDLING AS A PICARESQUE NOVEL

Thesis · April 2017

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 UNIVERZITA KOMENSKÉHO V BRATISLAVE
FILOZOFICKÁ FAKULTA

THE HISTORY OF TOM JONES, A FOUNDLING AS A

PICARESQUE NOVEL
Najdúch Tom Jones ako pikareskný román

Bakalárska práca

Študijný program: učiteľstvo anglického jazyka a literatúry a slovenského jazyka a literatúry

Študijný odbor: 1.1.1 učiteľstvo akademických predmetov

Školiace pracovisko: Katedra anglistiky a amerikanistiky

Školiteľ: PhDr. Mária Huttová, CSc.

Bratislava 2017

Mária Jakubjáková
I hereby declare that this thesis has been composed solely by myself and that I

have correctly acknowledged the work of others.

Bratislava, April 2017 ……………………………

Mária Jakubjáková
ABSTRACT

JAKUBJÁKOVÁ, Mária: “The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling” as a Picaresque Novel

[Bachelor thesis]. Comenius University in Bratislava. Faculty of Arts. Department of English

and American Studies. Thesis supervisor: PhDr. Mária Huttová, CSc. Bratislava: FiF UK, 2017,

43 p.

The aim of my thesis is to analyse the novel Tom Jones from the picaresque point of view and

to depict some of the most significant features which prove that the novel can bear the epithet

“picaresque”. My thesis is orderly divided into three parts. The first section briefly deals with

the origins of the picaresque genre as well as with the main significant works and some of the

first translations. The second part discusses main characteristics of the genre as well as the main

English picaresque novels and their brief description in the picaresque sense. Finally, the third

part deals with the novel Tom Jones and depicts some of the important picaresque features in

the work. The conclusion part summarizes the results of my research in proving that Tom Jones

is picaresque.

Key words: Spanish literature, picaresque genre, picaro, Henry Fielding, Tom Jones
ABSTRAKT

JAKUBJÁKOVÁ, Mária: “Tom Jones” ako pikareskný román [Bakalárska práca].

Univerzita Komenského v Bratislave. Filozofická fakulta. Katedra anglistiky

a amerikanistiky. Školiteľ: PhDr. Mária Huttová, CSc. Bratislava: FiF UK, 2017, 43 s.

Hlavným cieľom mojej práce je analyzovať roman Najdúch Tom Jones z pohľadu

pikaresknosti a zobraziť tie najvýznamnejšie črty dokazujúce, že tomuto románu patrí

prívlastok “pikareskný. Moja práca je rozdelená do troch hlavných častí. Prvá časť sa stručne

zaoberá pôvodom pikareskného žánru ako aj hlavnými významnými dielami a niektorými

ich prekladmi. Druhá časť rieši hlavné črty tohto žánru a tiež aj významné anglické

pikareskné romány a ich stručný opis v pikareknom zmysle. Nakoniec, tretia časť za zaoberá

s románom Najdúch Tom Jones a zobrazuje niektore z najdôležitejších pikareskných čŕt v

diele. Záver slúži na zhrnutie výsledkov môjho výskumu na dokázanie že Tom Jones je

pikareskný.

Kľúčové slová: španielska literatúra, pikareskný žáner, pikaro, Henry Fielding, Tom Jones
 Table of Contents

Introduction 8

1 Origins 10
1.1 Cervantes 11
1.2 Picaresque novel and its translations 13

2 Characteristics 15
2.1 English Picaro 21
2.1.1 Unfortunate Traveller 22
2.1.2 Moll Flanders 22
2.1.3 Roderick Random 23

3 Picaresque Tom Jones 25

3.1 Orphanhood 25
3.1.1 Bastard 26
3.2 Narration 27
3.2.1 First-person narrator 27
3.2.2 Retrospective 30
3.3 Masks, hiding and changeability 31
3.4 Satire and irony 33
3.5 Tom as a picaro 35

Conclusion 37

Bibliography 40
 Introduction

In the 16th century, with the release of an anonymous work named Lazarillo de Tormes and

Alemán’s novel Guzmán de Alfarache, one of the most influential genres was born called

the “Picaresque Novel”. After these two significant novels were released, many followed

this tradition and the novels immediately reached the peak of the popularity in that period of

time. Even when later published novels did not belong to the picaresque, many critics

considered them to be so if they were only influenced by the picaresque tradition. An

example of such a debate is Cervantes’ Don Quixote which led to controversies about what

truly the picaresque is. Right after its birth, the genre managed to spread into many countries

of Europe.

As the genre was founded at the time when Spanish culture and society were falling

apart, it bears many significant features related to this particular period of time. Vices of

society are portrayed many times in a satirical way. The protagonist starting as a social

outcast becomes a rogue and goes on a journey where most of his adventures happen. With

its first-person narrative and freely episodic structure we have the opportunity to see the

story through roguish eyes and live the adventure with the hero.

As the genre spread into Europe, The English literature was not an exception and

accepted this genre, producing many great novels. Since the situation in the society was not

the same as in Spain, English literature managed to develop this genre based on its Spanish

model with its own adaptations to English social conditions. The most significant picaresque

novelists during those times became Daniel Defoe, Tobias George Smollett and Thomas

Nashe.

One of the important English novelists was also Henry Fielding who published pieces

called Joseph Andrews and Tom Jones. Telling the story of a boy found wrapped in bed

sheets, Tom Jones became one of the first works which could be labelled as a novel. First
8
published in 1749, this prose is ranked among the best written novels as well as the most

influential ones. The book became known worldwide, carrying the features of picaresque

novel with the protagonist having evolved from the early “picaro”.

This thesis will analyse Henry Fielding’s novel Tom Jones. I will try to prove that

the story of the protagonist Tom bears characteristic picaresque features and can be, thus,

placed in the same category of picaresque novels. In the first chapter I am going to describe

the origins of this genre emerging in Spanish literature and present the main pieces. The

second chapter will discuss the main characteristics of the picaresque genre such as the

narrative and the hero. Furthermore, in this chapter I will also briefly analyse main English

picaresque novels and their plots. Finally, the third chapter is going to deal with Tom Jones

as such and portray some of the most important picaresque features within the novel. Finally,

I will summarize all the chapters and present the results of this paper in the conclusion of

the thesis.

9
1 Origins

In the early literature, old stories and tales about adventurous rogues and robbers

gave foundation for one of the most famous and later fully developed important type of novel

called “picaresque”. Some stories with picaresque features had already existed in old Greek

tales including some elements that carry many characteristics connected to today’s “picaro”.

“The Greek novels had employed pirates and robbers with unfailing regularity. In them

leaders of land and water thieves were prominent figures” (Chandler 3). Even if its features

go back to the old tales, this genre has always been associated with early Spanish literature

since most of the early major works in the genre were created during that period of time.

Picaresque novel as a sub-genre of the modern novel has its origins in the early

Spanish literature as the prototypes of this genre come from the mid-16th century Spain, and

then it continued to develop more during the first half of the 17th century (Apostoli 53). We

often see this genre as a collection of narratives which differ in their length and are

considered a very reliable source when talking about the social conditions and the way of

life in the period of time of the production of these works (Dunn 1-2).

The genre was first recognized during the same time as the first prototype Lazarillo

de Tormes (1554) was written. “As Cervantes said in the first part of the Quixote, the

Lazarillo meant the birth of a new genre, the picaresque novel” (Herrero 876). Broadening

our interest in acceptance of Lazarillo into the seventeenth and eighteenth century exposes

that this picaresque genre maintained to be an essential evidence mark for understanding

developments in later literature as far as the narrative form and a transnational context are

concerned (Peterson 461). What Claudio Guillén points out in his essay named “Genre and

Countergenre: The Discovery of the Picaresque,” is that the common picaresque genre

originated at the time of the release of Guzmán de Alfarache (1559) was released. An

argument why, could be simply that “the work [Guzmán] contains a pícaro” (Eisenberg par.
10
14) as it also often bears the title El Pícaro. This work is often considered to be a restoration

of the genre, its peak, and is referred to by many “the most significant picaresque novel”

(Gasta par. 2).

After the release of two significant picaresque novels, there was a couple of others

which appeared on the literary scene in Spanish literature. For example, Francisco de

Quevedo’s Historia de la vida del Buscón happened to be the most famous picaresque novel

from Spain after Lazarillo. One of the other well-known picaresque novels from Spain is

Libro de entretenimiento de la Picara Justina by Francisco López de Úbeda. Telling a story

of a female rogue Úbeda introduced the pattern of following picaresque tales in the Spanish

sphere and in Europe. Novella Rinconete y Cortadillo by Cervantes, or Estebanillo

González, hombre de buen humor also became well known in the times of the rise of the

picaresque genre.

1.1 Cervantes

As a very significant writer, Cervantes also plays an important part in the

development of the picaresque genre. Even if taking part in the development does not make

him a picaresque writer, he is considered by many to be so because some of his pieces

contain picaresque features. Some of the characterizations of this genre in English describe

stories which contain the majority of action happening on a journey with the main character

being outrageous and often low-life. This definition is often misleading and fails to describe

the real character of the picaresque novel, which is why Cervantes’ early work Don Quixote

is often put into category of picaresque novels (Ardila 3). Even in the English translation of

the title The Witty Hidalgo Don Quixote of la Mancha we can see the link to the low

aristocracy member hidalgo. Not only this character’s class similarities were the ones which

axiomatically placed this work among other picaresque stories, but Don Quixote also

11
“shared structural and stylistic similarities with the picaresque tradition from which it

arose” (Hanlon 147), which contributed to this categorization. Don Quixote was translated

into four languages that were dominant in Europe at that time which was a big moment

because no book except for the Bible has been so broad in its “multiplicity of translations

and editions” (Ormsby 27-32). It was a very well received and broadly read book in among

English readers and it also managed to attract many imitations (Staves 193). This book

became one of the first works of the western literature which succeeded in showing the

reader the perspective of the broad and diverse world and while reading and receiving an

entertaining story the reader is brought to think about experiences in life in a deep way

(Stamm).

A few stories from the Novelas Exemplares (Exemplary Novels) certainly link to

picaresque heroes, operate with picaresque narrative works, or even use crucial themes or

methods from the picaresque. Some of the utilised features are already mentioned in the

introduction of the “Exemplary Novels” where we find out that the stories contain “graceful

sketches of human virtues and failings in almost every grade of life” which can happen in

the life of anyone “from princesses to servant-maids, and from dukes to muleteers” and that

Cervantes describes his own characters during their everyday life with various circumstances

and surroundings (Orson 5). His Novelas exemplares published in 1613 were his first works

in which he best followed the features of Spanish picaresque (Chandler 347). In fact, La

illustre fregona [The Illustrious Kitchen Maid], El coloquiode los perros [The Dialogue of

the Dogs] and also Ricolette et Cortadillo are considered to be the most representative novels

of the picaro. The reason why Cervantes is often classified as a picaresque author, is that

Don Quixote and also some of the other novels were published during the times that Guzmán

was at its peak so “Cervantes was forced to cope with the picaresque in some way” (Gasta

par. 2) Anything which was published during the period when this genre was coming into

12
existence and which contained picaresque characteristics was immediately connected with

Guzmán as his works had become an incomparable model. Therefore, it is almost sure that

Guzmán and other picaros had an impact on Cervantes and his fiction,” it was impossible for

Cervantes not to be intrigued by what the picaresque had to offer, especially Alemán’s

version of it, and he considered a number of aspects worth exploring” (Gasta par. 9).

Cervantes acknowledged its power, but this picaresque effect does not mean that the author

automatically becomes a picaresque writer. While picaresque authors refer to the world as a

bad and corrupted place to live, Cervantes offers his readers a dubious multifaceted delivery

of new lives created, being affected by each other, meeting and existing with each other and

developing as they go throughout the story. Furthermore, his protagonists, who he also calls

“pícaros” decide to become picaros instead of being born to that situation, to the poor social

status (Maiorino 245).

1.2 Picaresque novel and its translations

Picaresque novel began to spread in Europe almost right after its birth. Major

translations were those into French, German or Italian language for readers who could not

understand or read Spanish language. The first translated work was Lazarillo which was

translated to French, followed by Guzman and a majority of the main Spanish picaresque

works which were translated into numerous languages in Europe, particularly into French

by the year 1645 (Apostoli 53). After this period of time, the picaresque genre became a

global literary sensation. The translations allowed the narrative attempts to preserve genre

picaro while at the same time managing to adopt it to national circumstances and traditions

(Wicks par. 22). The role of these translations was very important for further development

of the genre as they worked as models for imitation in other nations and they also formed

the context of socio-literal type which later helped the European counterparts to emerge.

13
Although the translations were very authentic at the beginning, throughout the time they

became to adapt more and more to individual countries’ cultures, "gradually they became

freer due to religious, national, socio-political and aesthetic reasons “(Apostoli 53).

14
2 Characteristics

The nature of the picaresque novel is very closely related to the social conditions of

the given time period. As Ardila mentions in his study, apart from having a satirical purpose,

a picaresque novel is also “committed to a social cause” (4). Indeed, a true picaresque novel

does not tell a story without also presenting a life in poverty. When we look at the history of

English picaresque publication, we can see that it substantiates the development of reactions

toward poverty as the translators changed and altered the original Lazarillo to influence and

draw people’s attention at supplicants. Picaresque indicates that the best way we can

approach poverty is through a narrative form, through collecting unfortunate coincidences

that the main character is not able to surmount (Peterson 462). The genre is characteristic

for putting an emphasis on the material aspect of life, on the livelihood, therefore it teems

with details and objects. No themes, objects or persons should remain unnoticed,

uninterested or without compassion (Guillen 83). The main issue was the disintegration of

feudal society, it gave the picaresque hero and genre as such the opportunity to judge the

system because the society breakup unavoidably indicated its own.

Throughout the years, the picaresque genre remained the same as far as its

orientation, style or pattern is concerned, but its narratives were forced to change, develop

and adapt according to the concerns of different periods of time and as a result of differing

social and cultural dynamics. Every time an author attempted or succeeded in making an

entry into this genre, he or she naturally modified its enforcement and emphasis and old

picaro as such underwent changes which amended or developed it as far as the narrative

capability is concerned. This also means that not every picaresque hero’s characteristics and

features are strictly given but can be adaptable. For example, the novel La picara Justina

has significantly changed a usual picaresque hero not only by changing the gender but also

by allegorizing the matter of the genre. Don Pablos in El Buscon accomplished to show a

15
bigger amount of delinquency whereas Jack Wilton in The Unfortunate Traveler managed

to soothe the image of roguery while showing good virtues of the protagonist. In some of

the picaresque works such as Gil Blas or Tom Jones by Henry Fielding we can even find

features of comedy and these stories possess sense of life in the comic way. This indicates

that there does not exist one objective example of what the picaresque genre should look like

(Sherrill 17-18).

Even if there is no exact definition of the picaresque genre, there have been many

features which have appeared in most of the picaresque works, although some of those could

be transformed and modified according to the cultural and historical context. Agreed by

many, one of the best definitions of the picaresque was given by Claudio Guillen in his

“Toward a definition of the Picaresque”. Guillen starts with the portrait of a picaro as he

tries to depict some of the most characteristic features. Here he mentions three main models

of picaro: “wanderer, jester and the have-not” and claims that the protagonist develops into

the role of the picaro throughout the story as he learns from his experiences and his

adventures (75)

Picaresque novel tells a story of a solitary hero, whose family is infamous and since

then he is marked with a social stigma which tends to determine his life, he tries to rise

within the society in order to beat his outrageous origins, is employed by many employers

despite his irresponsibility and delinquency and as he is a thief, the picaro is able to profit

from his cunning (Ardila 4). Most of the picaresque protagonists are orphans who are often

exposed to dishonor from the society and are consequently led to cut ties with their

hometown which leads to their early seclusion. The picaro is then often “thrown” into a

situation or social circumstances that he has not been prepared for. As his family has failed

in teaching him any moral principles or values, he could not be raised in a sociable person

and he has to learn everything by himself from his experiences as a young boy. Furthermore,

16
when he tries to find understanding from others he usually feels uninvited and unwelcome

(Guillen 79). The idea of orphanhood gives the hero a setting and conditions for a

disconnection from the past, from a God’s existence or from the very essence of manhood.

He then has to rely completely on himself and becomes homeless. Many English authors

decide to portrait the unexpected deprivation, such as becoming an orphan already before

the person is born or in a short time after his birth, in many ways either comically or tearfully.

Most of the times, there is an uncle who takes some responsibility to become a supervisor of

some kind for the picaro (Guillen 86). The hero lives as a social outcast, often behaves or

appears as a darker character and tells a story from his point of view. First-person narrated

story with the elements of retrospective and autobiography but always shown through the

thoughts of the protagonist whose life is being presented. Throughout this narration, a reader

experiences life of a traveler, gets to know many cultural terrains and social ways of life,

and manages to see the view which is continually confusing, challenging, sometimes greedy

and very hard for the picaro or even the picara who has to learn how to handle his or her life.

The lonely protagonist, commonly accompanied by anxiety has no other choice but to live a

life without any responsibilities or commitments, although being able to witness amazing

landscapes and places. At the same time, he has an obligation to accomplish the requirements

for the survival (Sherrill 17-18). While alone, he is often hurt and goes through some pain

and is never fully able to adapt or get used to an adult society with its vices. He tries to find

a compensation for the missing supervisor or tutor and discovers that the world at its best

behaves like a harsh stepfather. The author manipulates with the cards and ensures that the

hero manages to form into an enemy of the society or into an active rival thanks to the hard

lessons he or she had to go through. After some time, the traveler finds out that there cannot

be any meaningful life without being part of the society and there is no sincere shelter outside

of it and that is why he finds a solution in behaving in a “roguish” way. He chooses to adjust

17
and live on a narrow line between delinquency and vagrancy (Guillen 80-82). “The picaro

acts immorally by virtue of the most exacting of ethics, and his realization that all men

actually fail to be honest or truthful” (Guillen 98). We have come to the conclusion that our

picaro does develop throughout the novel and even learn and evolve. Every experience or

person he meet is just another form of example which helps him to discover, experiment and

also question new norms and values (Guillen 80-82). “The total view of the picaro is

reflective, philosophical, critical on religious or moral grounds” (Guillen 82). However, the

development is often not an improvement, the hero simply learns how to conceal his nature

and instincts better, hardens himself and tries his luck at the detriment of others (Guillen 88).

A “plot” is used to describe a series of psychological and sociological situations in a

dynamic and a narrative style (Guillen 79). The works tend to be freely episodic, collected

as a loaded train and we cannot find any possible link between the situations presented,

except the hero himself (Guillen 84). The picaresque style is based on the conditions or series

of situations. Already from the beginning there is a “knot” which our hero is entangled in

and which he or she gets deeper and deeper into as the story continues which brings him to

other experiences and adventures (Guillen 77). Thanks to the influence of the retrospective

narration, the story, its plot and development are able to become more intermittent and can

easily put the incidents and actions of the main protagonist into chronology. Even if every

episode has its typical character it seems to be discontinuous with others and that is why the

whole view of this genre is often that it is a product of randomness and haphazardness or a

mere chance. What we focus on a lot is the flexibility and continuation of the main character.

His latter actions are often expected based on his previous actions and the protagonist mostly

acts as his continuation is necessary, his next stop becomes unknown and acceptable at any

conditions and his final destination becomes a matter of a distant future (Sherrill 17-18).

Guillen describes the novel as “loosely episodic” since the situations and stories in it are put

18
together with no reasonable connection except the hero. Characters in the story as well as

the protagonist “are not constant in character or consistent in action (unless marked for

satirical purposes) but full of masks, changeability, hidden motive, mixed desire, driven as

they are by the claims of sensate existence” (Sherrill 15-16). Guillen also points out that “the

use of recurrent motifs, circular patterns, and incremental processes is particularly frequent

in the picaresque” (Guillen 84) and they help to create subjective and objective arrangement

as far as the linear series of situations is concerned. Thanks to this narration there can be any

amount of the stories and situations inside the whole story which can have a continuation,

an unfinished closure or both (Guillen 84).

We can also find more than just a form in first-person narrator. Besides the

protagonist and his deeds being picaresque we can see all other elements in the story

influenced by the picaresque narrator. Through the first-person narrative style, we perceive

the main point of view as well as the protagonist as picaresque. The style becomes more

consistent and self-concentrated. “Life is at the same time revived and judged, presented and

remembered” (Guillen 81) Ardila in his study says that “picaresque novel is much more than

a narrative telling of the adventures of a roguish protagonist” and that critics define it as “a

(fictional) autobiography narrated (in the first person) by a rogue” (Ardila 4). For the

autobiographical form of the genre there is a big importance in distinguishing two sides of

the picaro and that is to be his inner being and his appearance and actions. Throughout the

story the inner man with copiousness of his intimate thoughts and dreams becomes

independent from the outer man who is comprised of all his actions, behaviors and position

in the society. This happens to be one of the most meaningful accomplishments of the

picaresque. In the sixteenth century there were still opinions that the person is to be known

according to his outer actions but the distrust to these actions became to grow. People began

to understand that there is more hidden behind the explicit behavior and that this does not

19
have to agree with the inner personality of a person. That is why a dissimulation appeared

on the scene which meant a departure of two person’s sides and served as a protection of

man’s inside. Based on this information we can agree that a picaresque author has his own

place in this as he often conceals the inner man and we can only see the actions of the hero.

As the hero is a lonely soul, concealer, or a deceiver so is the narrator. That is why Claudio

Guillen calls the picaresque novel “the confession of a liar” (p. 89-92). This is very well

represented in the person of Lazarillo who shows us an insight into the souls of the people

using the power of external performance instead of just an outside vision. He receives

everything from the blind man and learns how to perceive the world through the “sight” of

a blind man when he must take care of himself despite the pitfalls of society. Indeed, that is

how the later picaresque heroes managed to develop into learners of the blind man as they

are trying to see the inner man instead of seeing the outer one (Guillen 93).

Another very important feature which determines the picaresque genre and shapes

its form is language. In the picaresque, language becomes a tool for camouflage or satire and

the pseudo-autobiographical form offers us a double viewpoint of self-secrecy and self-

disclosure. Language helps us understand the point of view of the narrator, which is limited

and biased and does not offer a synthesis of an individual’s life. A collection of rogue’s

conditions during his life such as different professions, places, countries and social classes

works as an invitation to satire. Satire in picaresque works varies according to the author.

An author of this genre tends to be more sympathetic and able to present different views that

we might expect, so he eases the collection of the conditions and rogue’s trespasses with

humor and perception of a particular complexity (Guillen 81-83).

In the case of our two old novels Lazarillo and Guzmán, they have the same type of

narrator and contain a similar development of the story even though they differ at some

points. “Told in the first person, both novels present the life story of a poor boy who comes

20
from nowhere and climbs the social ladder in order to achieve some kind of success by

adapting to society” (Hoffmeister ch. 1). The protagonist is forced to face the vices of the

public with his own personality, he is forced to face the rejection of the society, stand on his

own feet and deal with it his own way. Main characters of the picaresque works are mostly

non-heroic. Some protagonists become felons while others make good, many face poverty,

and some of them are also women who manage to segregate men from their wealth in the

classical way (Dunn 2). It is clear that life is very hard for the hero from the very beginning

of the story.

Many of the picaresque works’ characteristics still differ at some points according to

the place of their birth. They react to the social conditions and values of the country, its

society and the specific period of time. Moreover, the language and style differs when talking

about satire as it is part of many different currents such as humour of the English or

burlesque. Finally, the travelling themes and motives also happen to change throughout the

history of the genre as the methods and aims start to differ when coming in touch with other

genres (Guillen 98-99).

2.1 English Picaro

Except for translations, there were a few pieces written also in English speaking

world since the picaresque genre had risen. “Gusmanry”, a term being used for describing

“the fashion of Guzmán”, throve mostly at the time of the English revolution when Loyalists

managed to find the antithesis of the ethical impositions of Puritans in the ribald and

mischievous adventures of the Spanish rascal. The term gusman became an analogue of a

rogue and was applied when naming criminal biographies such as The English Gusman

(1652) by George Fidge (Ardila 1-2). However, the English picaresque differed from the

Spanish because of the social situation in the country and was transformed according to its

21
social conditions. While in Spain the society was at its break up, in England it was only

beginning to form itself (Bowers).

2.1.1 Unfortunate Traveler

One of the first and earliest English picaresque writers was Thomas Nashe with his

piece Unfortunate Traveler (1593) about which it has been debated for a long time whether

it can or cannot be called a picaresque novel as the work contains only some elements of the

genre. The protagonist Jack Wilton corresponds with the picaro in many ways. He doesn’t

care about other people’s fortunes or their livelihoods. Bowers in his study calls him

heartless as he doesn’t pay attention to others’ bankruptcy and in the case of the annoying

captain, he would rather have the captain dead so he sends him on a quest. Jack as a character

frankly admits being a knave and carries on with his roguish behavior. Wits and jests are a

significant part of his life as they help him to make living and as in many Spanish picaresque

works, he cannot help making fun of his master Surrey. There are many situations where

many kinds of love are satirized such as Surrey’s love for Geraldine, or Surrey’s love for

Jack Wilton. Jack succeeds in tricking his master as well as many others on whom he plays

tricks in order to earn money easily. With money, he manages to travel the world now

independent from his master. However, Baker mentions two things which the Unfortunate

Traveller is missing while being a picaresque work, and these are persistent angle and a

certain aim (Bowers).

2.1.2 Moll Flanders

One of the authors who managed to transform the picaresque genre was Daniel Defoe

with his Moll Flanders. Telling a story of a picara named Moll, the novel belongs to one of

the most significant British picaresque works. Moll is abandoned in her early months and is

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passed from one caretaker to another until the age of three (Guillen 86). The narrative uses

a sequence of returns in the whole story and the plot is then more cyclic. We can understand

the plausibility of Moll’s character through her telling her adventures and wanderings.

Through the Moll’s narrative we can experience a strain between two of her views of the

world, what she reiterates and what she is trying to erase or efface. During her childhood,

she learnt to balance love with wealth from the Elder Brother, she was taught to lie and see

her femininity as an object to haggle. Therefore, she is not able to love and feels forlorn. In

many dialogues in dominant episodes we observe Moll’s wish to become a gentlewoman.

Moreover, throughout the story we watch her moving and developing from apathy and

inconsistency to liveliness and ability to control her future. Finally, we also see her finding

the light in Christianity which helps her save herself from the moral depravity. This is a

feature which we can also recognize in Guzmán (Kent 259-263). Moll represents the

“picaresque” in many ways, mostly through her solitary experience which later grew into a

lifelong detachment.

2.1.3 Roderick Random

The author who is commonly mentioned in connection with the picaresque genre is

Tobias George Smollett. He became famous and well-known after he had translated Don

Quixote, and two other works from Alain René Lesage. His often studied and discussed

picaresque work is his first novel Roderick Random (1748). Indeed, many critics agree that

this work touches the original pure picaresque the most from the many English novelists that

were writing in the eighteenth century (Beasley 211). In its preface, we find out that his book

is modeled according to the Lesage’s Gil Blas, although Smollett also shows some disgrace

of certain Lesage’s approaches and decides to differ from him in some ways. Apart from

gaining an inspiration for a picaresque from reading and analyzing Lesage, Smollett also

23
tries to include certain features from former Spanish writers as he wants to “reclaim and

maintain a “generous indignation” toward a sordid world” (Gibson 572) “It is a well-known

fact that Smollett and the English eighteenth-century novelists were the first to make the

picaro a good sailor“ (Guillen 84).

The work The Adventures of Roderick Random is written in an intended satirical style

with an episodic structure. Being a principally pragmatic tale, it tells a story of a man who

shortly after being born is orphaned as his mother dies and his father disappears. He cannot

find an is not gifted by any love either from family or a lover. He is passed hand to hand

from a grandfather, through barbarous pedagogues to mean and eager masters. He is a satiric

outsider who is battered with the world turning morally crazy and physically barbarous. He

believes that there is no possible redemption for the humanity as it is so depraved. The

balance between two important models is presented, the practical and the moral, although at

the end the moral takes over. Most of the time Roderick experiences bad luck and

melancholy, sometimes supplemented with joy from his rogueries which he committed to

the detriment of the authority and the fools who influenced him. He expresses anger at the

mean world by verbal and sometimes physical moves so we can feel the emphasis of his hurt

and rage. He wanders the world without any certain aim or moral principles. There is a big

influence of the chance and fate which seems to be making fun of Roderick as his world

remains very dark and is portrayed in a satirical way. His whole reality is displayed and

presented in a strongly pessimistic way. He keeps wandering blindly until he reaches the

end, when he is happily married and manages to outrun and escape all the craziness in the

world while remaining safe (Beasley 211).

24
3 Picaresque Tom Jones

In this chapter I would like to present the results of my research proving that The

History of Tom Jones, a Foundling is a picaresque novel. Many features from the picaresque

were applied in Fielding’s work and I chose to depict some of them which are the most

significant such as the theme of orphanhood and Tom being a bastard. In addition, we cannot

leave out the importance of the narrative in the story as this influences everything. Moreover,

I would also like to discuss the role of satire, irony, or masks and changeability of the

characters. Finally, in the last part I briefly discuss Tom as a picaro.

3.1 Orphanhood

This feature is used and presented in most of the picaresque novels, without the

exception of Tom Jones where the theme of orphanhood appears right at the beginning.

Picaresque heroes are abandoned and orphaned in their early ages and so is Tom.

“Here, having spent some minutes on his knees – a custom which he [Mr. Allworthy]

never broke through on any account – he was preparing to step into bed, when, upon opening

the cloathes, to his great surprise he beheld an infant, wrapt up in some coarse linen, in a

sweet and profound sleep, between his sheets” (Fielding 5).

In his work, Fielding brings us into a scene of an innocent child abandoned in a

man’s bed, being so young that he is probably not even able to interpret and recognize people

around him. This uneasiness of the picaro’s life from his youth relates to his later inability

to integrate himself into the society. He is neither homeless – as he has a place to stay and

live in – nor without a family, but it is not the proper biological-parent family. It is always

an advantage when there is a parent present who he can learn moral and social values from

and therefore the child has a place to belong to.

25
 However, Fielding does not leave Tom alone for a long time and provides him a new

possible supervisor. As was already mentioned, picaresque novels often feature an uncle

which keeps an eye on the hero. Luckily for Tom, Mr. Allworthy is willing to keep him and

provide him with a sufficient care the child needs as he puts Tom into the hands of Mrs.

Wilkins, and Miss Allworthy who immediately starts to organise everything for the child to

be satisfied. In the text, we can see that Allworthy is a well-mannered and respected man

who does not hesitate about keeping Tom:” that the good man had ended his narrative with

owning a resolution to take care of the child, and to breed him up as his own” (Fielding 10).

He later wants to be sure Tom is provided with the same amount of education as Blifil who

is almost the same age. During the rest of the novel Tom grows up next to his companion

Blifil, who provides a stark contrast to him, not only because of his non-orphan origins, but

also due to his behaviour and later-presented habits and values.

3.1.1 Bastard

We can also consider Tom’s later “roguishness” as being present already at his birth

or even before. A child being abandoned is something which naturally ignites an anger with

regards to his parents which are perceived as irresponsible and careless. In this case, the

child can be very strongly influenced by his origins as the parents’ behaviour can be

considered to be roguish and can be inherited. This kind of orphanage mostly leads to the

conclusions that child is very likely a bastard – born outside of a proper marriage, out of

passion and very often infidelity – themes which are often the subject of every gossip and

rumours spread very fast. Thanks to these assumptions, life is not easy for the hero. This

uneasiness already from the beginning of hero’s life is very important in the picaresque

works. The importance of a label “bastard” is huge. As a bastard and orphan, one cannot

inherit money from his parents and lives a poor life which also means that if there is a chance

26
for finding love, it is never accepted by the girl’s parents as the orphan cannot provide

adequate financial security and no one wants a bad life for his child. An example from the

book: “and if you was to be made an honest woman, I should not be angry; but you must

have to doing with a gentleman, you nasty slut; you will have a bastard, hussy, you will; and

that I defy any one to say of me” (Fielding 123), presents a fight between Molly and her

mother when the former was thought to be pregnant with Tom. The mother strongly

disagrees with her daughter’s choice and stresses that this would mean a shame for their

whole family. In addition, being a bastard is regarded as being some kind of dirtiness or a

sickness and leads to the lack of acceptance and understanding of Tom even if his behaviour

is one of a gentleman.

3.2 Narration

The narrative in Tom Jones is a tangle of multiple styles. The author interrupts,

recalls and foreshadows throughout the whole story. Thanks to this the plot results in being

loosely episodic as in many picaresque novels and becomes a complex of many episodes

with no obvious connection between each other except the character himself.

3.2.1 First-person narrator

Tom Jones is significant due to its omniscient narrative being interrupted with the

author’s first-person narrative. This kind of technique is not only used to describe the story

and the characters from the narrator’s point of view, but it is also important for its

considerable influence. As we read the work, we encounter many of the narrator’s ideas and

comments which change our point of view and our opinions. For example: “After this short

introduction, the reader will be pleased to remember that. . .” (Fielding 76) which shows

how the author is so excited about telling the story and about the information coming that he

is quite sure the reader’s attitude is by no chance going to be different. Another example of
27
the influence of the technique can be found while reading a description of some place. The

author not only describes it, but also does not forget to leave a comment and his opinion,

like when talking about Gloucester, “. . . an excellent house indeed, and which I do most

seriously recommend to every reader who shall visit this ancient city” where he even

recommends this place to the reader.

As the narrator, he uses epithets with names which also means he can attach feature-

bearing adjectives to the characters which he applies to Tom in the first place as he calls him

“poor Jones”. This is to make the reader feel sorry for Tom even if he could evaluate the

situation as well as the character of Tom by himself and by this narration the narrator tries

to present some moral process of the character throughout the story. “The reader must now

allow we were very nearly arrived at this period, since it would be difficult for the devil, or

any of his representatives on earth, to have contrived much greater torments for poor Jones

than those in which we left him in the last chapter” (Fielding 319). The epithet “poor” is

also used in the case of Partridge when he is accused of infidelity and violence against his

wife. The reader is very likely to believe in Partridge’s innocence, as already through

narrator’s eyes he is perceived as poor. However, the narrator later informs us not to let the

epithet influence our judgement. “Though I called him poor Partridge in the last paragraph,

I would have the reader rather impute that epithet to the compassion in my temper than

conceive it to be any declaration of his innocence” (Fielding 56). This shows us that it is not

only the characters who are full of concealment but also the narrator himself, using the

language to hide some elements from the reader and reveal them later in the story or not at

all. As the author is also omniscient he could easily say everything he knows about a given

situation chooses not to and instead keeps a secret. Like in the case of the Partridge’s trial,

we do not find out whether the final judgement was fair or not and the author chooses not to

28
tell us: “. . . but if the historic muse hath entrusted me with any secrets, I will by no means

be guilty of discovering them till she shall give me leave” (Fielding 56).

The narrator is trying to lead us, take us by the hand and become an omniscient guide

as he is showing us Tom’s life step by step. Picaresque narrator wants the reader to see the

story through his roguish eyes. He often indicates something but lets the reader to think the

background of the situation through. “Now, whether Molly, in the agonies of her rage. . . or

Jones might touch it. . . or whether the pin or nail gave way. . . I am not certain” (Fielding

160-161) shows how the author completely lets the reader to use his imagination and

however he decides, it is not as important as the result. At the same time, the author cares

about the reader and wants him to be acquainted with the important situations and

circumstances. Sometimes before he starts telling a new episode he explains useful

information from the past which have not been mentioned before and also mentions what is

about to be found out. “Before we proceed any farther. . . it may be necessary to inform him

[the reader] that. . . the sagacious reader will observe how she came by it in the preceding

scene” (Fielding 310).

Furthermore, there is also an entrance of the author which is longer than usual. As

was already mentioned, the author often only leaves a comment, but sometimes he speaks

for the whole chapter. He feels the need to explain some matter to the reader which he

believes could not be understood without his interruption. As he knows that it is very

important to inform the reader but also realizes that he is disturbing the continuation of the

story, he subsequently makes a sincere apology for the long interruption. From the later

apology, the relevance of author’s longer note is clarified. “And this, as I could not prevail

on any of my actors to speak, I myself was obliged to declare” (Fielding 89). Therefore, it is

clear that the author considers expressing himself an obligation. In addition, his apologies

29
are very common throughout the novel to ensure that no one, be it his readers or his friends,

are not insulted by the interruptions.

Some chapters do not even contain any action or happening, they are merely used by

the author to express his comments or to demonstrate his inspirations. Thanks to the

description and the whole title of the chapter, the readers are almost fully aware of the

coming content of the chapter.

3.2.2 Retrospective

Throughout the novel, the narrator uses flashbacks and retrospective entries to

remind the reader about a preceding situation so that the latter understands well what is

happening or about to happen. As in this example: “It will be believed that Mr. Allworthy. .

. but it is unnecessary to insert it here, as we have faithfully transcribed what he said to

Jenny Jones in the first book. . . “(Fielding 131) he has to help the reader to recall the first

book. Also in other cases: “My reader may please to remember. . . “ (Fielding 41) he wants

to assure the reader about the usefulness of the memory given. Most of the time, the chapter

starts with a remembrance so he gives the reader the basis from which he can proceed further

in the episode. As in this example: “It will be believed that Mr. Allworthy. . . but it is

unnecessary to insert it here, as we have faithfully transcribed what he said to Jenny Jones

in the first book. . . “(Fielding 131) the author has to help the reader recall the first book.

Also in other cases: “My reader may please to remember. . . “(Fielding 41) the author wants

to assure the reader about the usefulness of the given memory. Most of the time, a chapter

starts with a remembrance whereby the author gives a reader a certain basis from which the

latter can proceed further in the episode. As in the example: “The reader may remember that

Mr. Allworthy gave Tom Jones a little horse. . . “(Fielding 90) Thus, the chapter starts with

recalling Mr. Allworthy’s present to Tom, but not because the author is going to talk about

30
the animal mentioned. Rather, it is for us to understand Tom’s behavior towards the poor

family of Black George and his materialistic support for them. The whole novel with its

episodes is incredibly intertwined and we can better understand the plot thanks to these

retrospective insertions.

3.3 Masks, hiding and changeability

The aspect of masks, hiding and changeability is very important in this novel as the

characters are full of concealment and changeability which then influences the further

development of the story. Already from the beginning of the story we arrive to situations in

which a person is suddenly acting differently from his or her natural behavior. In the case of

Mr. Blifil’s death, despite Mrs. Blifil’s hatred towards him, she acts like she would die for

him as she cannot imagine living without him anymore. However, we can feel the insincerity

of her behavior from the comments of the narrator: “Mrs. Blifil declared she was seriously

frightened, upon which the other lady. . . who well knew the true state of her [Mrs. Blifil’s]

affections” (Fielding 64-65). This part indicates misting-up Mrs. Blifil’s feelings with her

probably having good reasons for doing that as she continues in simulating her sickness.

Thus, Mrs. Blifil becomes one of the mysterious characters in the book, with the readers

never truly sure about her feelings as she never properly expresses them. In the picaresque

novel, this kind of behavior is used later to trick other people in order to achieve something

for their later prosperity.

Tricking other people is depicted in the story not only through the behavior of the

protagonist, but also through other people learning how to outwit others around. One

significant example is the one of Master Blifil, who without any difficulties could accept the

fact that he is supposed to marry Sophia. Even when this turned out to be just a

misunderstanding, after Master Blifil calculated the advantages he could obtain from the

marriage with Sophia, he had no objections to the wedding. Even despite Sophia’s hatred

31
towards him, all he could see was the materialistic benefits resulting from this deal. There

was no space for the conscience to talk. After this experience, the reader could consider

Master Blifil as having no conscience at all. There is a scene where his true desire is revealed:

“he had one prospect. . . And this was the estate of Mr. Western; which was

all to be settled on his daughter and her issue. . . For these reasons Mr. Blifil was so

desirous of the match that he intended to deceive Sophia, by pretending love to her;

and to deceive her father and his own uncle, by pretending he was beloved by her”

(Fielding 258).

This can also be considered as a roguish behavior as he tricks others in order to earn

money and secure his income.

Another indication of changeability is also shown in the lower class represented by

the servants. There is a situation when Sophia is planning her escape from home and her

servant Mrs. Honour is promising to do anything to accompany her mistress on her journey

whatever happens. She stays on her side until she gets an idea of how she could benefit from

this situation better. Here, as Mrs Honour decides to help Sophia anyway, what we consider

to be picaresque are only her thoughts which she presents. As one of the main feature of the

picaresque genre is also displaying the conditions of society, many of the characters are often

driven by their materialistic desires which was no exception in this case. The following

example: “but something, I say, suggested itself to her, that by sacrificing Sophia and all

her secrets to Mr. Western, she might probably make her fortune” (Fielding 265) shows that

money was an incredibly influential aspect in someone’s life when making a decision.

Indeed, later we find out that Mrs Honour would betray her mistress if certain incident would

not have happened right after her stream of thoughts.

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3.4 Satire and irony

In this novel, the element of fun is very common. Indeed, even situations which are

meant to be serious are to a large degree ironized. The narrator sometimes even tries to

analyze situations or an aspect which are clear enough and we would not even think of

dissecting them further. The apparent silliness of this analysis then results in fun. There is

an example when the narrator uses the ambiguity of the rude expression containing a

person’s bottom. “In reality, it lies in desiring another to kiss your a— for having just before

threatened to kick his; for I have observed very accurately, that no one ever desires you to

kick that which belongs to himself, nor often to kiss this part in another” (Fielding 224) The

reader would probably not naturally linger to think about the expression or to examine it in

this way. However, this is not the end of the contemplation. The narrator carries one and that

is where the satire takes its place as he criticizes the manners of some gentlemen: “for in

town nothing can be more common than for the finest gentlemen to perform this ceremony

[mentioned above] every day to their superiors, without having that favour once requested

of them.” (Fielding 224) In this example we can see how the narrator sees the society and

some people in particular. Some people, especially servants are seen to do anything to make

more money, to advance higher in the society or to simply please their master in order to

receive certain bonus as was already seen in the case of Sophia and her maid Mrs. Honour.

Even when we read about Captain Blifil making decisions about the fortune of Mr.

Allworthy once the latter dies, we notice how the fate ironically does him a favor and kills

Mr. Allworthy first while he somehow tries to advance in the societal order. Money is

omnipresent. It is the main object of satire in the entire novel. Money happens to be a very

influential aspect when it comes to people’s decisions and that is what Fielding is trying to

depict.

33
 Another money-inspired situation which was satirized in the novel is when the

physicians were called to deal with the case of Mr. Blifil found dead. “The physicians,

therefore, finding themselves anticipated in everything they ordered, were at a loss how to

apply that portion of time which it is usual and decent to remain for their fee” (Fielding 67).

This example shows the physicians’ incompetence in doing their job properly, and their lack

of professionalism, although trying to act otherwise. It is clear to everyone that the main

their main interest is in the fee. Furthermore, the narrator also presents them as being in a

fight when they cannot agree on the cause of Mr. Blifil’s death as it shows how they only

talked about the problem but their fight actually solved nothing and just confirmed their

unprofessionalism. The situation with the two physicians continued when their profession

was further described.

I would like to mention one more situation which is in my opinion an example of

satire. Picaresque novels are very often described as being anti-heroic. There are also some

opinions that the picaresque works are often used to satirize a heroic kind of love. In Tom

Jones, the theme of love is portrayed in a very strange way. For Tom, there is not a single

life-lasting love. He changes his soulmates and women of his life throughout the entire novel.

He is not the type of man who is intentionally philandering. Each time he meets a new object

of his love he thinks he is going to stay with the woman and love her for the rest of his life.

The situation I found most significant for this kind of satire is when Tom at first rejects any

possible feelings toward Sophia as he only likes her appearance but not her heart and starts

his relationship with Molly. In fact, he starts loving Molly so much that he makes love to

her and she later expects a baby which is supposed to be his. However, after some time spent

in Western’s mansion Tom starts to have incredibly strong feelings towards Sophia when he

realizes how amazing she is. It is not only her appearance which amazes him but also her

heart which he was not interested in at the beginning. After this feeling is revealed to the

34
reader, Tom starts having second feelings about leaving Molly and then compensates this to

her. “At length it appeared to him, that he might possibly be able to make Molly amends

another way; namely, by giving her a sum of money” (Fielding 158). We can feel the irony

of this situation when we understand the absurdity of equating love with money. We also

find out that as Tom knows Molly, she would probably accept the money offered to her

which leads us to the importance of money already described above. However, what is later

even more interesting about this case is that when Tom visits Molly to inform her about his

decision, as he sees her, he forgets about Sophia immediately for a moment. “As for Jones,

he was so entirely possessed. . . by the presence of his beloved object [Molly], that he for a

while forgot Sophia, and consequently the principal purpose of his visit” (Fielding 159).

This episode of the story is not only a clear example of satirizing the heroic love, but also an

example of Tom’s changeability.

3.5 Tom as a picaro

As we already confirmed Tom’s character as a picaro from the point of his origins as

he is an orphan, we should proceed a little further in briefly presenting more of his picaresque

character. Roguish behavior is characteristic for a picaresque novel. Tom started his roguish

activities already in his youth as he became friend with the gamekeeper. The author mentions

the proverb: “You may know him by the company he keeps” (Fielding 71). Throughout their

friendship many misfortunes happened to Tom as it was mostly the gamekeeper who came

up with a new roguish plan or activity which they performed together. There is also a

situation where Tom is punished for the gamekeeper’s mistake as he is determined not to

betray his friend. He has a very great will, “he was contented to be flead rather than betray

his friend or break the promise he had made” (Fielding 74). At this act of loyalty we can

see that despite Tom being a rogue in many cases, the importance of relationship between

35
friends is very important to him. What we also discover later is that even when he committed

many roguish mischiefs, there was always a time for punishment for him which he was

highly aware of.

Furthermore, at the beginning of his home studies at Mr. Allworthy’s mansion, Tom

was not gentleman-like at all. The reader finds out that good manners do not mean a lot

during his early ages: “He was indeed a thoughtless, giddy youth, with little sobriety in his

manners, and less in his countenance” (Fielding 82-83). However, as the picaresque hero is

supposed to learn throughout the story, Tom is not an exception. Later on, when he moves

further and meets new people, he is often paradoxically mistaken to be a gentleman.

Another picaresque feature for Tom was the amount of misfortunes he had to

experience throughout his life. Whether it was the ones we already mentioned above or

others not mentioned, life was not easy for him. He was treated unfairly most of the time by

the people who were supposed to take care of him or provide him company. These unfair

incidents then result in Tom being sent away from the Allworthy’s house when he is unfairly

accused by Blifil for something he had not done. This is the moment where he has to leave

and start his long journey on which he meets new people, experience many misfortunes,

provides his wits and jests and also where his roguish behavior takes place in the story.

36
 Conclusion

The evidence shows that Tom Jones is a realistic novel with characteristic picaresque

features. Already from the beginning we recognize a boy being abandoned in the bed sheets

of Mr. Allworthy. As the orphanhood is one of the most significant features of the

picaresque, this novel unconditionally fulfills this aspect of the genre. As an orphan, Tom

has a very hard life, fails to receive a proper upbringing and he often behaves in a roguish

way. It is not only Tom who bears the roguish characteristics, but also many other characters

that are trying to trick other people throughout the whole novel. Being roguish is probably

the most significant feature of the “picaro”.

Even though the picaresque genre emerged in the Spanish literature and the two main

works are Lazarillo and Guzmán we cannot consider all picaresque works based on these

first models. Many critics have established certain rules according to them, but those were

then mostly applicable on the Spanish picaresque works. Picaresque genre is able to adapt

to the country’s social conditions and portray the in the novels which was proved in many

English picaresque works.

Like in many picaresque works, in Tom Jones we can see social conditions portrayed

in many ways. What the author deals with a lot is poverty, which we proved is one of the

aspects picaresque cannot be without. Poverty in Tom Jones is not portrayed mainly in

Tom’s material life, but mostly around him. There is a big influence of the poverty of his

friend gamekeeper because as Tom is trying to help, he experiences a lot more misfortunes

and roguish behavior which then results in him being the poor picaresque hero.

Many of the situations in the novel are portrayed in a satirical way which is also an

important feature of the picaresque. What Tom Jones deals a lot with is the behavior of

people when influenced by money. We mentioned Mrs. Honour thinking about betraying

her mistress, or doctors being unprofessional considering just their payment. We also saw a

37
situation where gentlemen were willing to do anything just to be liked by a superior. Thus,

the characters in the novel are then full of changeability and concealing. In order to achieve

certain aims mostly connected with money and higher position, they are able to act

differently.

What is very important to mention is the episodic structure in the novel. Novel is told

by the author with the first-person narrator as he interrupts the story with his comments very

often. Apart from that, the narrator is omniscient and provides the reader throughout the

whole story and honestly cares about him. The author also uses a retrospective style in order

to mix the situations and create a free tangle of episodes so we can hardly see a connection

between the chapters, apart from the hero himself.

Thanks to these features, the novel Tom Jones can be assigned with the epithet

“picaresque” and be consider as one of this kind.

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 Resumé

V tejto práci sa zaoberáme problematikou pikaresného románu, konkrétne románom

Henryho Fieldinga Najdúch Tom Jones.

V prvej časti práce je stručne analyzovaný pôvod pikareskného žánru, ktorý vznikol

v španielskej literatúre. Bižšie sa spomínajú práve dve kľúčové diela, ktoré významne

prispeli k vzniku a vývinu pikareskného románu a jeho neskoršiemu zaradeniu a

charakteristike. V druhej časti prvej kapitoly sa práca venuje významnému španielskemu

autorovi Cervantesovi, ktorý bol dlho považovaný za pikareskného autora. Na záver prvej

kapitoly sa stručne venujeme ďalšiemu postupu pikareskného románu v Európe a jeho

prekladom.

V druhej kapitole práca prechádza na konkrétnu charakteristiku žánru a venuje sa

jednotlivým črtám, podľa ktorých je tento žáner možné určiť a definovať. Hlavné znaky

spomenuté v tejto kapitole sú chudoba v pikaresknom románe, cestovateľský charakter

šibalského hrdinu. Jedným z dôležitých aspektov pikareskného románu je aj satirické

zobrazovanie spoločnosti, jeho ironický character a množstvo žartov, ktoré hlavnému

hrdinovi pomáhajú v živote a na jeho cestách. Osirotenosť, opustenosť a osamelosť sú tiež

veľmi významné črty, ktoré nachádzame vo väčšine pikareskných románov. V druhej časti

druhej kapitoly je aj dôležitý anglický pikareskný román a spomenuté tri význemné diela,

ktoré ovplyvnili jeho vývin v sfére anglickej literatúry.

Posledná, tretia časť sa venuje konkrétne románu Najdúch Tom Jones a pomocou

konkrétnych pasáží z knihy, sú zobrazené jeho pikareskné znaky a dokázaný jeho pikareskný

charakter.

39
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