How far is Robinson Crusoe in the ‘Picaresque’ tradition?

How far is Robinson Crusoe in the ‘Picaresque’ tradition?

The word ‘picaresque’ is derived from the Spanish word ‘Picarons’ and the English word ‘Picaroon,’ meaning a cheat, an adventurer, or one who lives by one’s wits. Accordingly, the picaresque novel is the tale of adventures or misadventures of a picaro or rogue who wanders from one place to another, from one setting to another, from the town to the country, and from the country to the town. In the words of Edwin Muir, “the picaresque novel is the tale of hard- worked travelling hero, posting from inn to inn, now in the country, now in London, knocking at the doors of the great, mixing with rogues and thieves, languishing prison, or on board the ship suffering every vicissitude, good or bad, and enduring them all, not because the novelist has any tender regard for his hero’s sufferings or fortunes, but because he is in need of variety, and is determined to get a pass to as great a number of scenes as he can.” The object of the picaresque novel then is to take a central figure through a succession of scenes, introduce a great number of characters, and thus build up a picture of society. This is exactly the pattern which the story of Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe follows. The hero is taken through a succession of scenes and situations, and has a number of adventures on the seas and the islands. He meets persons of different types and tempers. In this way a picture of society is gradually built up. Thus this novel confirms to the design of a picaresque novel.

A novelist gains some advantages through the use of the ‘picaresque’ mode of writing. It does not demand a well-organized or closely knit plot. The plot of Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe is loosely constructed. It is episodic and picaresque. One episode in the novel leads to another episode. If one episode is dropped out, the story will go on smoothly without any loss or disturbance. The events do not issue from one another and are not interwoven W.H Hudson has remarked that no attempt is made in the novel towards the organization of the material into a systematic plot. In confirmation with the picaresque mode of writings we have thus a loosely spun plot in Robinson Crusoe.....................................................................................................................................

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