What is a defining feature of Picaresque fiction?

• A. A technical manual
• B. A biography of a political leader
• C. Episodic adventures of a roguish protagonist
• D. A short, serialized novel

Answer: (C)

Picaresque fiction is defined by its episodic adventures featuring a roguish, lower-class protagonist who wanders from place to place. Each episode presents a new situation or encounter, often satirical in tone, that the protagonist navigates through wit, cunning, and charm. This wandering, loosely connected sequence of exploits allows the author to critique different social classes and institutions by showing how the protagonist survives within them. The emphasis is on the character’s sly resourcefulness and the variety of scenarios he encounters, not on a highly polished single plot or on factual biographies.

So the defining feature is the episodic adventures of a roguish protagonist. It isn’t about instructional manuals or biographies of political leaders, and while some works may appear in installments, what truly sets the genre apart is the roaming, episode-by-episode escapades of the witty trickster at its center.