Rubyfruit Jungle | Style

Rubyfruit Jungle Style

The Picaresque Novel

Rubyfruit Jungle is considered a prime example of a picaresque novel. This form of literature dates back at least as early as 1554, with the publication of Lazarillo de Tormes Perhaps the best-known example is Don Quixote, by Miguel Cervantes. More recent examples include Henry Fielding's Tom Jones (1749) and Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884).

The picaresque genre is structured as a loosely organized series of episodes that detail the journey and adventures of a hero or heroine. Lessons are learned through bitter and humorous experiences. Often, the hero of the picaresque is a marginalized character, either socially or economically.

Rubyfruit Jungle follows the conventions of the picaresque in many ways. Molly's journey is as bawdy and sexual as that in Tom Jones. Stylistically, Rubyfruit Jungle has been compared with Twain's picaresque hero; specifically, both protagonists are orphans, poor, from rural backgrounds, and don't seem...
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