Schelmenroman

Schelmenroman, picaresque novel, a form which traces the desultory and haphazard adventures of a quick-witted and usually amusing rogue. It is first represented in German literature early in the 17th c. by translations and adaptations from Spanish. The outstanding German Schelmenroman of the age is Grimmelshausen's Der abenteuerliche Simplicissimus (1669), and a typical example in the 18th c. is Der im Lustgarten der Liebe herumtaumelnde Cavalier (1738) by J. G. Schnabel. Notable modern descendants are Th. Mann's Bekenntnisse des Hochstaplers Felix Krull (1954) and G. Grass's Die Blechtrommel (1959).