The picaresque novel is a literary form featuring a loose and episodic plot, a focus on travel and adventure, the realistic representation of lower/working class characters, and strong elements of satire and humor. The term picaresque is derived from the Spanish word picaro, meaning rogue, scoundrel, or rascal. The protagonist of the picaresque novel tends to contrast with traditional heroic ideals courage, loyalty, and selflessness; instead, the picaresque hero is typically somewhat amoral, lazy, willing to bend rules, and focused on his or her own benefit. Particularly when applied to English novel, the picaresque genre tends to focus on travel and the adventures that occur along the way; it is also more likely to feature multiple main characters, rather than a single protagonist.

In literary history, conventions associated with the picaresque novel can be traced back to long prose works from antiquity, including Petronius’s Satyricon and Apuleius’s The Golden Ass. These works were notable for their focus on realism and comical, sometimes crass, depictions of everyday life in ancient Rome. The picaresque genre also flourished in Spain in the 16th and 17th centuries; Lazarillo de Tormes, an anonymous Spanish novel published in 1554, is often viewed as one of the signature examples of the genre.