1896. Part Three of Four. With introduction, life and notes. LeSage, French novelist and dramatist, whose masterpiece, Gil Blas de Santillane is a rambling story in the style of Spanish picaresque romances, though unlike them in conception. It is instead strongly realistic, especially in its incidents; exact description of exterior and physical appearance suffices to show character and to imply moral judgment. Gil Blas was a major influence in the development of the realistic novel. The hero's adventures are described from naive youth through cunning servant to landed proprietor and nobleman-with a spell in jail, bereavements and fits of remorse along the way.