The First Adventure of Gil Blas

Gil Blas (in French L'Histoire de Gil Blas de Santillane) by Alain-Rene was published between 1715 and 1735. The original episodic novel was translated by Tobias Smollett (1721-1771), a Scottish poet and author best known for his 'picaresque' works such as The Adventures of Roderick Random (1748), The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle (1751) and The Expedition of Humphry Clinker (1771). Picaresque is an early form of novel which tells of a lowborn adventurer drifting from one setting to another, encountering many different experiences across the spectrum of society. It is usually told from a first-person perspective. The form Smollett popularised in English influenced (and was arguably perfected by) later novelists, particularly Charles Dickens with David Copperfield (1849) and Great Expectations (1861).

Gil Blas is born in misery in Cantabria. He is educated by his uncle, and he leaves at the age of seventeen to study at Salamanca. His bright future is suddenly interrupted when he is forced to help robbers along the route and is faced with jail. He becomes a valet and over the course of several years observes many different classes of society. He meets many disreputable people and adjusts to many situations, thanks to his adaptability and quick wit. He finally finds himself at the royal court as a favourite of the king and secretary to the prime minister. Working his way up through hard work and intelligence, Gil is able to retire to a castle to enjoy a fortune and a hard-earned honest life. A 1751 play version of Gil Blas by Edward Moore was performed at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane with David Garrick in the title role.

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