UNINTERlingua 2023

48 azarillo de Tormes, anonymously published in 1554, is the work with which the picaresque genre began. This work was a reaction to the then-popular Spanish novels of chivalry and their near-perfect heroes that were so well-liked by the readers of that time and that for so long had entertained the Spanish public. In a picaresque work, we find a character who is a kind of anti-he- ro, one who survives the cruelties of the world mainly by using his wit. In comparison with the almost-perfect characters that are found in the novels of chivalry, such as Amadís of Gaul in the novel of the same name, the anti-hero of the picaresque novels is no longer a rich man, strong, valiant, and the son of royalty such as Amadís. Within the picaresque, the protagonist, the pícaro, is typically a poor man who in order to survive must constantly make use of his wit, since this is the only resource available to calm his hunger and to obtain a place to live. The most common way to achieve his survival is by serving a master, who will most likely take advantage of him. Lázaro, the main character and narrator of the original Lazarillo de Tormes, lives this type of life. He is a poor servant who describes his hunger, pain, and suffe- ring at the hands of his nine masters whom he serves before the novel ends. Nevertheless, his story does not end there. Another The Integration of the Fantastic in the Picaresque, Ph.D. Pierina E. Beckman University of North Texas and the Descent of Lázaro to the Bottom of the Sea L