Narrative violence in the Golden Age picaresque novel: Comparative analysis of “El Lazarillo”, “El Buscón” and “La pícara Justina”

The narrative violence in my study of the picaresque novel is linked with the violence that one finds in other kinds of narrative discourse, between the participants in the transmission of a story, between these transmitters and the characters, and between and among the characters. My research presents an analytical method that permits investigation of the possible violent relationships on the diegetic as well as the extradiegetic level. The narrative violence that my study examines is metaphorical, since the participants in this narrative violence are virtual entities, not real human beings. This analytical method not only enables analysis on the diegetic and extradiegetic levels, but also allows the researcher to see the text in its historical context, although the latter is not the primary objective of my analysis. My study of El Lazarillo, El Buscón, and La pícara Justina denounces new manifestations of violence in the picaresque novel that go beyond the level of the character. These numerous manifestations of violence allow us to recognize that violence is still a central area of study in the picaresque novel, and that one can penetrate deeper in the topic of violence from new perspectives. Furthermore, this research proposes that these manifestations of violence should be named narrative violence. This systematic approach to studying violence in the picaresque novel is very different from what other studies of fictional violence do, and that is because my study considers manifestations of violence that are not, to my knowledge, being studied currently