B.A 2nd Year English honours "picaresque novel"

Novel 

1.Make a brief note on picaresque novel.

➣ The Picaresque narrative emerged in sixteenth- century Spain. ‘Picaro’ is derived from the Spanish root ‘Picaro’ which means rough adventurer in English. Picaresque novel is a type of fiction which relates the adventures of a rough or lowborn adventurer (Spanish Picaro) who drifts (moves) from place to place and from one social milieu to another 
to survive.
Some key features of picaresque novel are—

(i) Use of First person—

Most picaresque novels are told in the first-
person narrative, using such as I, my and we. 
The tone of it is autobiographical, (It is an 
autobiography, albeit fictional).

(ii) A lowly main character—

The protagonist in a picaresque novel is often 
from low class or society. He or she will be a 
picaro who travels hero and there to survive.

(iii) No distinct plot—

Picaresque novels have little or no definite 
plot. These are rather episodic. The events 
flow from one misadventure to another.

(iv) No character development—

The picaro rarely changes throughout the story changes throughout the story. There is little way of character development in the novel.

(v) Realistic language—

Picaresque novels use simple realistic language because the protagonist is from low class and the story in told in first person.

(vi) Satire—

The protagonist exposes the follies and hypocrisy of society through comic behaviours. Some of the earliest examples of picaresque novels are Lazarillo de- Tormes, Don Quixote by Cervantes. Examples of picaresque novels in English— Papers, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventure of Augie march.

2.Write a note on Epistolary novel.

➣ The term “epistolary novel” refers to the works of fiction (Prose) that are written in the form of letters or other documents. The word ‘epistolary’ comes from Greek word which means relating to letters. The first English novel composed in the form of letters was “Love Letters Between a Nobleman and His Sister” by Aphra Behn in 1648. But the epistolary novel really came into immense popularity with publication of Samuel Richardson’s “Pamela” in 1740. And “Clarissa” in 1748. In the novel, “Pamela”, the helpless protagonist Pamela addresses her letters to her parents- John and Elizabeth Andress to share her situation and events in life “Clarissa” is a novel of 530 letters which expose the tragic story of Clarissa, a young woman.

        Tobias Smollett’s “The expedition of Humphrey Clinker” is another example of 18th century epistolary novel where we find a wide range of letters.

         In the 19th century, another form of epistolary novel came into existence Bram stroker’s “Dracula” was composed of letters, newspaper clippings, diary entries, dictation cylinders and telegraphy’s. 

    Today, few novels are written in letters. But emails and texts have taken place in novels in large extent. So, epistolary form in still living in different

forms.