Word of the Day

[glennagirl.livejournal.com]

Write and post in the comments, using the word of the day.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22

Picaresque

[pi-kə-ˈresk]Part of speech: adjective

Origin: spanish, early 19th century

• Related to a mischievous character
• A type of fiction concerning the adventures of roguish but likeable characters

Examples of Picaresque in a sentence

• His new novel was full of picaresque characters getting into scrapes and always escaping the arm of the law.
• She wants to settle down and start a family, but she’s constantly drawn to picaresque sorts who will never give up a life of adventure. 

Napoleon and Illya sometimes questioned their picaresque characters in the fiction they inspired.

About Picaresque

Picaresque characters have been popping up in literature for hundreds of years. Beloved classics such as "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "Pippi Longstocking" detail the exploits of the roguish title characters. For a more modern take on the picaresque novel, add "The Goldfinch" by Donna Tartt and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" by Hunter S. Thompson to your reading list.

Did you Know?

The Spanish novel "Don Quixote" is an excellent example of picaresque fiction. The word "quixotic," meaning impulsive or unpredictable, was coined in honor of the title character.

Comments

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

One thing that everyone at headquarters was sure of was the fact the Solo and Kuryakin were quite a pair. Not only were the best agents in the entire organization, they could also be quite picaresque in their behavior; they were surprisingly adventurous with some of their non-assignment behavior. Being an agent of the U.N.C.L.E. risking your life on an almost daily basis would necessitate some less than serious behavior to keep one's sanity, but of the two men the Russian had a more stoic outlook on life than his partner.

[pfrye.livejournal.com]

Mr. Waverly was exasperated at Napoleon Solo. "Mr. Solo, I must say you mission reports reads like a picaresque dime novel of my youth, let's try for a bit more gravitas in the future shall we?"

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

I like this!! Seriously, you need to start writing some stories and posting them here on S7.

[laurose8.livejournal.com]

Just right both for the word and Mr Waverly. Surely he did say this some time.