The Adventures of Roderick Random

Roderick Random (1748), Smollett's first novel, is full of the dazzling vitality characteristics of all his work, as well as of his own life. Roderick is the boisterous and unprincipled hero who answers life's many misfortunes with a sledgehammer. Left penniless, he leaves his native Scotland for...

Tobias Smollett (1721–1771) was a prominent Scottish novelist, surgeon, and man of letters, best known for his picaresque novels, such as The Adventures of Roderick Random and The Expedition of Humphry Clinker. He was a major figure in 18th-century British literature, bridging the gap between ear...