Roderick Random

As I've worked on the Libraries of Early America (and the Legacy Libraries in general), a few works of literature tend to appear again and again: Don Quixote, Shakespeare, Homer, Milton, &c.). One of these is Tobias Smollett's first novel, The Adventures of Roderick Random (first published in 1748; I read the 2008 Oxford World's Classics edition). I thought this summer would offer a good chance to dig into this picaresque tale and see if I found it as interesting and/or entertaining as previous generations of readers.

Published when its author was just 27 years old, and drawing inspiration at least partly from Don Quixote and Gil Blas (as well as on Smollett's own youthful experiences to a degree), this is the engaging and often show more hilarious story of a young man's roller-coaster ride through childhood and adolescence. Cast out by his father's family and forced to make his own way in the world, the narrator sets off from his native Scotland to try his luck in London. But no sooner does Roderick (or Rory, as he is affectionately known by some) catch a break or find a job he likes than the fates intervene and toss him to the bottom of the heap again (in all sorts of comical ways).

Assisted by his erstwhile and ever-trusting friend Strap, and his worthy uncle Tom Bowling, Random tries his best to make his way in the world, but it's a rare ten-page stretch in which his fortunes are not entirely reversed, usually but not always as a result of Random's own ingenuousness and trusting nature. His adventures take him halfway around the world, as a surgeon's assistant abroad the British fleet against Cartagena in 1741, and again abroad a slave ship bound for Jamaica. From the back alleys of London to the salons of Paris and Bath, Random sees it all as he tries to get ahead (and, for once, actually manage to stay there).

Smollett's incisive wit comes through not only in the telling and amusing names he assigns to his bit players, but also in the satirical treatment of British society, of which few elements escape his pen: among the areas most thoroughly treated are naval customs and culture, political knavery and preferment, and the linkages of monetary worth with marriage potential.

Well worth a read if you've not had the chance, and I'd advise taking your time with it; it'll bear a good close read, and you'll find more reasons to chuckle that way.

http://philobiblos.blogspot.com/2010/08/book-review-adventures-of-roderick.html show less

I am a Victorianist, so I have no issues with reading texts many others find old or dull. However, I am beginning to think that some kind of switch was flipped around 1820 or so that made literature become good—presumably this was done by Jane Austen. This reminded me a lot of Henry Fielding's Tom Jones (published a year later), in that it goes on and on and on and on without stopping. The focus on interiority that makes the novel the novel just isn't here yet, but even a lot of the dialogue comes in the form of reported summaries of conversations. It's like listening to someone tell you a story, only the teller is an older relative and they have no clear point and no clear direction and soon all you can do is nod politely and hope it show more doesn't go on too long. But of course it does. Fool me once, eighteenth-century picaresques,* shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Hopefully I am not fooled into picking up a third one.

* Everyone calls this book a picaresque, but David Blewett, editor of my Penguin Classics edition, goes to great pains in his introduction to establish that it's not one. show less

Compared to Humphrey Clinker, RR is a bit lacking. Compared to all the world's other novels, though, it's great. As ever with the 18th century, you need to adjust your expectations: the characters are 'flat,' there's no psychologizing, the plot meanders with little internal purpose, and there's no politesse. On the other hand, there's a wonderful variety of people and voices, there are dozens of hilarious little narratives, and the little satires--particularly, here, the dancing naked philosopher-poet, who ends up in debtor's prison after getting screwed around by publishers and producers--are far more powerful than the so-called satires of our time.

There's also a larger point to Random's adventures. He starts off in Scotland. There's show more no reason for the travels that follow, except the sort of purpose no novelist could get away with now: Smollett wants to show us the depravity of the entire human species, so Random has to hang out with provincials, rurals, urbans, domestics, foreigners, men, women, nobles, peasants, workers, bosses, servants, masters, criminals, judges etc... If you can think of an opposing pair, Random meets each member of it, and they're both shitheads. Only once he's gone more or less around the world and met everyone can the book come to its comedic conclusion, in which a series of literally incredible coincidences bring Random, and his glorious sidekick Strap, love and loot. As in Humphrey Clinker, Smollett's point is: this shit only happens in novels, the world sucks, and you need to admit that. On the upside, the shit is very, very funny.

Cervantes is obviously a big influence on this book: the pointless, entertaining adventures; the lower-class sidekick (you could easily mistake Strap for Sancho); the rough and ready humor; the complete indifference to consistency in characters' psychology or actions. RR isn't quite as entertaining, but it was Smollett's first book and it's written in the first person. Given those disadvantages, it's pretty impressive. On the other hand, I can't imagine it winning many readers.

An edition that listed the chapter contents at the start would be a good idea; then it'd be easier to skip straight to the best bits. That aside, this edition is a good one--solid introduction, good notes. show less

Disinherited by his grandfather, Roderick Random leaves Scotland for London to become a naval surgeon.

The novel was more interesting as a social document consciously and unconsciously revealing its period than as a story. I found a lot of it repetitive, especially parts that were obviously meant to be funny and probably were when it was published, but I can only take so many jokes involving somebody getting covered in piss or poo.

Having read Peregrine Pickle, the novel Smollett wrote after this one, three years ago, I kind of realised that, like with Henderson and Herzog, I'd read these the wrong way around. Smollett made his name with Roderick Random and then went on to perfect his style with Peregrine in much the same way that Bellow did, not that I find Smollett anywhere near as engaging as Bellow.

If you've ever read any picaresque novels, you've read Roderick Random. Interminable japes lead to misunderstandings, wheezes, a dice with death or two and enough characters that Dickens, 100 years later, had no shortage of inspiration. There's nothing particularly new here for the modern day reader, and if you want to distract yourself for a few hours, there's no show more harm in it.

But, as with Peregrine, it does tend to go on a bit, although Peregrine goes on far, far longer than Roderick does. Plus there are some satirical and historical references that may fox our understanding today. The fact that the novel does travel overseas (or at least the characters literally do) means that there are some interesting diversions on the way.

So, an important book for literature and one with some distracting adventures, but not one I'd urge you to rush out and read. show less

A contemporary picaresque tale of Britain in the eighteenth century. This humorous, semi-autobiographical story lays out the absurdities of life in a way that is both educational and entertaining.

Roderick Random (1748), Smollett's first novel, is full of the dazzling vitality characteristics of all his work, as well as of his own life. Roderick is the boisterous and unprincipled hero who answers life's many misfortunes with a sledgehammer. Left penniless, he leaves his native Scotland for London and on the way meets Strap, and old schoolfellow. Together they undergo many adventures at the hands of scoundrels and rogues. Roderick qualifies as a surgeon's mate and is pressed as a common soldier on bord the man-of-war Thunder. In a tale of romance as well as adventure, Roderick also finds time to fall in love... Smollett drew on his own experiences as a surgeon's mate in the navy for the memorable scenes on board ship, and the show more novel combines documentary realism with great humour and panache. show less