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62 In these various respects, then, we can see that the story of Lázaro’s descent into a lower world is not at all typical of the “standard” treatment of the theme. Perhaps the best explanation for those differences is the picaresque nature of the work. The theme of descent to a lower world is generally not one that lends itself to a humorous treat- ment. In fact, almost all other literary representations of the theme deal with it quite seriously, as befits a matter of life and death. The picaresque genre, by definition, is based largely on the often-humorous adventures and misadventures of its hero. The anonymous author, by making Lázaro’s lower world the ocean instead of Hades, and its inhabitants sea creatures instead of the dead, has succeeded in creating an unusual and humorous adaptation of the theme of descent to a lower world. Bibliography Alemán, Mateo. Guzmán de Alfarache . México, D.F.: Porrúa, 1985. Anónimo. Lazarillo de Tormes. Madrid: Taurus, 1978. _____. Segunda parte de Lazarillo de Tor- mes y de sus fortunas y adversidades. Biblioteca de Autores Españoles. Vol. 3. Madrid: Rivadeneyra, pp. 91-109, 1858. Cañedo, Jesús. “’Curriculum viate’ de Lazarillo de Tormes.” Revista de Filología Española , 49 (1966), 126-180. Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de. El ca- samiento engañoso y el coloquio de los perros. Novelas Ejemplares . México, D.F.: Porrúa, 1983. D’Angélico, Francisco. Mitología griega: dioses, héroes, leyendas . Mérida: Dante, 1989. Garibay K, Angel Ma. Mitología griega: dioses y héroes. México, D.F.: Porrúa, 1986. Grimal, Pierre. A Concise Dictionary of Classical Mythology . Translated by A.R. Maxwell-Hyslop and edited by Stephen Kershaw. Cambridge: Basil Blackwell Inc., 1986. Guillén, Claudio. Literature as a Sys- tem . Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1971. Quevedo, Francisco de. Vida del Buscón Don Pablos. México, D.F.: Porrúa, 1980. Sobejano, Gonzalo. “El coloquio de los perros en la picaresca y otros apuntes.” Hispanic Review , 43 (1975), 25-41. Zwez, Richard E. Hacia la revalorización de la Segunda Parte del Lazarillo . Valen- cia: Albatros, 1970.