Traces of the picaresque tradition in The story of my teeth by Valeria Luiselli

Abstract

The contributions presented in this paper about the picaresque novel show that a homogeneous series of literary works is not included under this category. However, the temporal and geographic basis are perhaps more precise since it is one of the most important legacies of the Spanish literary tradition and part of the Golden Age. Despite this delimited context, several authors refer to the recurrence of picaresque narrative elements in the literature of later centuries, both inside and outside Spain. So, after presenting an overview of the picaresque tradition that includes its original defining characteristics and its significance in time and space, an analysis of the novel The Story of My Teeth (2013), by the Mexican writer Valeria Luiselli, is developed in order to examine some characteristics that evoke the Golden Age narrative, and extend, in this way, the contributions presented by different authors about the significance of this old literary genre until the late 20th century. The analysis focuses on the autobiographical elements of the novel, the importance of the genealogy of the antihero in his future inclinations and the constant trips he makes through different countries to train as an auction caller. Therefore, the study presents a tripartite structure with three characteristics usually related to the picaresque tradition, as it will be revealed through the theoretical frameworks that accompany the analysis.