Inheritance And Innovations

Compared with contemporary writers like Defoe and Fielding,Tobias Smollett has received less attention,but his works,especially his first novel,The Adventures of Roderick Random,are no less worthy of scrutiny.Previous critics have focused on the genre of Roderick Random,but opinions vary.Most critics think that it deviates from the picaresque tradition.However,based on the theory of intertextuality,this paper holds that Roderick Random inherits the picaresque tradition that emerged in Spain in the sixteenth century and innovates the genre to some extent.Intertextuality is reflected in the fact that any writer consciously or unconsciously rewrites other texts when creating something new.Later writers will inevitably imitate their predecessors and try to surpass them.Roderick Random was published in the time of the rise of the novel when contemporary writers explored new literary forms.Their forerunners had made outstanding achievements in legend,romance,and the picaresque novel,among which the picaresque novel has the greatest influence on Smollett’s work.This genre usually tells a story of a picaro with low moral standards in the first person,displaying his adventures in a loosely-connected plot and an unstable characterization.Roderick Random inherits the above features.The protagonist narrates his experiences in the first person in an episodic plot.Meanwhile,the novel modifies the picaresque Firstly,Roderick has a more complex identity:he is both a gentleman and a picaro.As a Scot,he has a dual perspective of the oppressed and the oppressor.Secondly,the novel gives a panoramic description of the society and people from all classes and all walks of life,but there remains a certain order in the plot.Finally,under the anxiety of influence,the author draws on the conventions of satire and romance while eliminating the absurdity manifested in former works,so that his writing is more realistic.Therefore,Smollett shows his genius when invigorating the old literary genre.