Life of Lazrillo de Tormes 302-342 and the Pícaresque Novel

• What caused "significant inflation" in Spain?
• Who, according to the text, formed the "hungry ranks of pícaros"?
• Who else wrote pícareque narratives in Spain and England?
• What, according to the narrator, helps those who "find Fortune hostile to them" reach a "safe haven"? What do you think that means?
• How did Lázaro say he got his surname?
• What causes Lázaro to wonder, "How many people there must be in the world who shun others because they can't see themselves"?
• What happens to Lázaro's stepfather?
• What were some of the blind man's "thousand other ways and means to get people's money"?
• How does Lázaro return the blind man's sausage?
• What meals does Lázaro initially receive from the Priest?
• Why does Lázaro pray to the Lord "to remove sick person[s] from this world"?
• What does Lázaro call the "face of God"?
• What does Lázaro's master mistake for the hissing of a snake, and how does Lázaro suffer because of it?
• Lázaro wonders "how many people...suffer on behalf of that misery they call honor." What are some ways the squire suffers for honor?
• The squire is renting his house because a knight "doffed his hat" to him. Why?
• What are some of the "delightful actions...that are customary in palaces nowadays" that the squire feels he could do well?
• Why does the indulgence seller prefer "reverend priests"?
• Explain one way the indulgence seller induces people to buy indulgences?
• When Lázaro says, "no one prospers who doesn't have one of t hose," what does he mean?
• What kind of trouble does Lázaro receive from "slandermongers"? Why do you think he ignores them?

Essay: Why do you think the Pícaresque Novel became so popular? Can you think of entertainment today that might be popular for the same reason? Explain. (Note: This question will be required on the quiz. Whenever you get an essay question, your best strategy is to be specific enough that I can tell you read the novel carefully.)