Tobias Smollett
Smollett brought a Scots physician's eye for grotesque physical detail to the picaresque novel, creating some of the most vivid comic characters in English literature. His influence on Dickens was immense and direct.
Works
- The Adventures of Roderick RandomPicaresque novel of young man's misadventures at sea and land across multiple continents
- The Adventures of Peregrine PicklePicaresque novel of nobleman's eccentric son's adventures and romantic entanglements
- The Expedition of Humphry ClinkerComic epistolary novel of elderly gentleman's journey to Wales in declining health
- The Adventures of Ferdinand Count FathomPicaresque novel of nobleman's bastard son pursuing virtue and honor amid temptations