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Roderick Random
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The Adventures of Roderick Random
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Roderick Random

novel by Smollett
Also known as: “The Adventures of Roderick Random”
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History

Roderick Random, picaresque novel by Tobias Smollett, published in 1748. Modeled after Alain-René Lesage’s Gil Blas, the novel consists of a series of episodes that give an account of the life and times of the Scottish rogue Roderick Random. At various times rich and then poor, the hero goes to sea, has romantic entanglements, travels the world, discovers his long-lost father, and marries his true love.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kathleen Kuiper.