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Where does the word "picaresque" come from? It comes from Spanish pícaro, passing through French before entering English (1810s).
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Where does the word "picaresque" come from? It comes from Spanish pícaro, passing through French before entering English (1810s).
Picaresque’s story begins in Spanish: pícaro meant “rogue.” A rogue; the anonymous 'Lazarillo de Tormes' of 1554 founded the 'novela picaresca'. By 1700s, the word had taken hold in French as picaresque. A term of literary criticism. It reached English by 1810s as picaresque. Applied to novels such as 'Tom Jones' and 'Moll Flanders'. Today, picaresque means relating to an episodic story about a roguish hero.
- Stage 1 · Spanish · 1500s pícaro "rogue", a rogue; the anonymous 'Lazarillo de Tormes' of 1554 founded the 'novela picaresca'.
- Stage 2 · French · 1700s picaresque "roguish", a term of literary criticism.
- Stage 3 · English · 1810s picaresque "episodic and roguish", applied to novels such as 'Tom Jones' and 'Moll Flanders'.