What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to examine the changing uses of 'picaresca' in Spanish media from 1975 to 2020.

January 21, 2026

Centenary Paper: Portraying la picaresca from the Fall of Franco (1975) to 2020: An Archival Approach

Key Points

The aim is to examine the changing uses of 'picaresca' in Spanish media from 1975 to 2020.
Analyzed articles from popular Spanish newspapers including El País, ABC, and La Vanguardia.
Utilized an archival approach to explore the term's evolution over time.
Examined contextual changes from post-Franco Spain to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Identified a significant lexical shift in the usage of 'picaresca' across decades.
Highlighted varying perspectives on 'picaresca' reflecting political and social changes.
Posed new questions regarding the relevance and interpretation of 'picaresca' today.

Abstract

This succinct yet stimulating commentary provides an overview of the utilization of the term ‘picaresca’ in articles in a range of popular Spanish newspapers ( El País, ABC , La Vanguardia ) through the years stemming from the death of Spain’s dictatorship until the Covid-19 pandemic, providing an array of perspectives regarding the significance of ‘picaresca’ and the broader sinuosities it has lent itself to over time. Such an exploration reinforces how a lexical shift can occur to even the most quintessential of terms, and begs new and relevant questions of ‘la picaresca’ by viewing it through a temporal lens.

Mark Helpful

Bookmark

Relay