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A Filmmaker's Guide to: The Picaresque Hero

Film Studies (Pt.13)

By Annie KapurPublished 3 years ago 4 min read
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In this chapter of ‘the filmmaker’s guide’ we’re actually going to be learning about literature and film together. I understand that many of you are sitting in university during difficult times and finding it increasingly hard to study and I understand that many of you who are not at university or not planning on it are possibly stuck of what to do, need a break or even need to catch up on learning film before you get to the next level. This guide will be brief but will also contain: new vocabulary, concepts and theories, films to watch and we will be exploring something taboo until now in the ‘filmmaker’s guide’ - academia (abyss opens). Each article will explore a different concept of film, philosophy, literature or bibliography/filmography etc. in order to give you something new to learn each time we see each other. You can use some of the words amongst family and friends to sound clever or you can get back to me (email in bio) and tell me how you’re doing. So, strap in and prepare for the filmmaker’s guide to film studies because it is going to be one wild ride.

The Picaresque Hero

What is it?

The term 'picaresque' comes from the Spanish for 'rogue' and so, the 'picaresque hero' is a 'rogue hero' who does not possess the qualities we would commonly associate with a hero. A type of this (if you have heard of it) is the Byronic Hero which is associated with Lord Byron and his archetype from Don Juan. The picaresque hero normally takes part in mind games, dishonesty, adventures of misfortune and craves outlandish and sometimes criminal activity.

In literature, he is very recognisable as being written by Miguel de Cervantes' "Don Quixote". The man of La Mancha is known as one of the most famous picaresque heroes of all time. Due to the madness and dishonesty of the protagonist, we can commonly associate him with the archetype, but this is very far out in history. What about the more recent examples of the picaresque hero?

Ishmael from Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" is also a good example. Though Ishmael seeks to do some amount of good, he ultimately displays many a prejudice and ethical problem to the reader. He is commonly dishonest and his traits lack any will power of his own until the very end of the novel. The question would really be around whether Ishmael is still a picaresque hero by the end of the book or not.

Where plot does not hold too heavy and a first person account may be used, the picaresque is never far away. Where morality is a key problem for the hero and satire is used to employ a 'way' about them, the picaresque is there. Where character transformation is minute and yet, seems large to the hero themselves - the picaresque is probably being employed as we speak. It is a very specific genre with a very specific hero and, often difficult to recognise, plays a part in defining the wider brim of heroes as a whole.

I will leave some picaresque hero novels in the 'further reading' section if you would like to have a go at reasoning why these modern men and women are part of the picaresque genre.

What about in film?

It is true that it is more difficult to see a film character as part of the picaresque purely because of the anti-linear and episodic nature of the picaresque novel itself. But, it can be seen if we were to concentrate solely on the character attributes rather than the construction of the narrative.

Your watchlist could include:

- Cloud Atlas (2012)

- A Guide to Recognising Your Saints (2006)

- Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)

- The Great Dictator (1940)

- American Beauty (1999)

- The Truman Show (1998)

- American Psycho (2000)

- War Machine (2017)

- Birdman (2014)

- Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Notice how many of these have a satirical element to them, they also have a main character who is representative of this satirical element and a slow, if null, transition of character in which the character has believed they have undertaken a great transformation whereas, in reality, they haven't really changed that much at all.

Also notice how many of these films come from different genres. "The Truman Show" is a comedy whilst "American Psycho" is a thriller, "War Machine" is a comedy/war film whilst "A Guide to Recognising Your Saints" is a coming-of-age drama. The picaresque, contrary to popular belief, is not limited to adventure films/novels. But, be that as it may, adventure novels/films will always be the start point for which the picaresque is viewed from purely because of the fact that it is where the style originated from.

You may ask yourself this question when designing your own picaresque character:

How can I make the character believe that they have changed a lot without the audience believing the same thing?

It's possibly the most difficult thing to do within that style. Even I can't do it at all!

Further Reading:

Novels of the Picaresque to Read and Learn from:

  • The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow
  • On the Road by Jack Kerouac
  • A Confederacy of Dunces by JK Toole
  • Under the Net by Iris Murdoch
  • The Confessions of Felix Krull by Thomas Mann

Further Reading Cont'd:

  • Campbell, J (2012). The Hero with a Thousand Faces. 3rd ed. UK: New World Library.
  • Parker, A. A (1967). Literature and the Delinquent. Scotland : Edinburgh University Press.
  • Quevedo, F (2003). Lazarillo De Tormes and The Swindler: Two Spanish Picaresque Novels. 2nd ed. UK: Penguin
  • Rico, F (2009). The Spanish Picaresque Novel and the Point of View. UK: Cambridge University Press.
  • Sieber, H (2019). The Picaresque. 2nd ed. UK: Routledge.

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About the Creator

Annie Kapur

190K+ Reads on Vocal.

English Lecturer

🎓Literature & Writing (B.A)

🎓Film & Writing (M.A)

🎓Secondary English Education (PgDipEd)

📍Birmingham, UK

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