The Adventures of Roderick Random

The Adventures of Roderick Random is a picaresque novel by Tobias Smollett, first published in 1748. It is partially based on Smolletts experience as a naval-surgeon’s mate in the British Navy, especially during Battle of Cartagena de Indias in 1741. In the preface, Smollett acknowledges the connections of his novel to the two satirical picaresque works he translated into English: Cervantes’ Don Quixote (1605-15) and Alain-René Lesage’s Gil Blas (1715-47).